Through the Storm
by Lady-Ravenhawk
Summary: Everything was finally returning to normal. They were home at last. But a plan for revenge turns their entire world upside down when the one person Piccolo loves the most is taken from him. Utterly heartbroken, Piccolo must rely on his friends to help him figure out who took her and why. (Part of my Z-Girls series.) Piccolo x OC, Gohan x OC, Trunks xOC, Android 17 xOC.
1. The Gathering Storm

"Jenny."

No answer.

"Jenny."

Still, there was silence.

"Dammit, Jenny, wake up."

Drowsily, Jenny jumped and rolled over, her eyes half open. "Huh?"

"The baby's up," he answered, looking thoroughly exhausted.

"But I just –" Jenny paused to yawn, "just fed her."

From the room across the hall, the infant gave an even louder howl.

Jenny groaned. "Can you bring her to me?"

Piccolo heaved a sigh and got out of bed. No one had warned him about this. The sleepless nights, the moody girlfriend, the constant laundry from baby spit-up, diaper changes, rocking, rocking, rocking that baby to sleep and then feeling your nerves fry as she screams out again the moment you lay her in the crib. It was pure exhaustion, plain and simple. And yet, he now couldn't picture his life without the tiny, screaming, drooling, giggling, demanding little person he'd helped bring into this world. He opened the door to the nursery and the sound of the wailing intensified. He always woke before Jenny did – his hearing was so much more sensitive than hers.

Laying in her crib, four-month-old Paige ceased her screaming for a moment to gaze up at her father. Her big blue eyes blinked at him; her brightly colored curls, which were now turning a decidedly shocking hot pink color instead of the original lavender she'd been born with, were disheveled and plastered to her forehead in tangles. She stuffed a fat little fist in her mouth and giggled.

"You just want to be held again," he muttered, scooping her up and laying her against his shoulder. She squirmed a bit and made little gurgling sounds, drooling down her father's bicep. He sighed again.

Returning to his room, he carefully crawled back into bed, reaching over to shake Jenny awake again and lying the baby on the bed next to her. Jenny rolled to her side, pulling the baby closer. Paige nuzzled against her mother's chest. "Ow!" Jenny cried. "Ease up, you little vampire."

Silence fell once again as Piccolo sunk back against his pillows, closing his eyes and yawning. "How much longer until she sleeps through the night?"

Jenny yawned as well, rubbing at her eyes. "I dunno."

He turned his head to look at her and smiled. Even with the dark circles under her eyes and her hair sticking out at odd angles with a baby latched to her, he thought she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life. Her head sunk deeper into the pillow and she closed her eyes, falling almost instantly back to sleep.

He shifted closer to her, reaching out for her in the darkness of the bedroom, his hand coming to a rest on her hip. He stretched his legs and relaxed, slowly drifting back to sleep in the blissful quiet of the lookout.

* * *

"I'm sorry, babe, we just can't make it today," Jenny said into the phone a few hours later, bouncing the baby in her arms, tossing soiled shirts into a washing machine.

"But it's been months," her friend Lindsey whined into the phone. "You guys still haven't come to see the new house."

Jenny sighed. "I know. I'm just so tired. Paige still isn't sleeping through the night."

"You need to give that kid some benadryl."

"DON'T. TEMPT. ME."

Lindsey laughed. "Okay, well, maybe later this week we can do dinner or something? Maybe breakfast wasn't the greatest idea right now."

"Sure, hon. Just call me later, okay?" Jenny answered, thankful that Lindsey wasn't mad, but knowing she probably wouldn't make the dinner date either.

"All right. Talk to ya later."

"Bye."

Lindsey tapped at the screen of her phone and sat back miserably at the end of her dining room table. Towers of pancakes covered its surface; there were mountains of eggs, toast, and bacon on platters, warm maple syrup sat in a crystal jug, pitchers of coffee and milk and juice gleamed brightly in the early morning light streaming through the high windows. She rolled her eyes and blinked at the tears – she hated the way her eyes would tear up when she was frustrated. She pushed herself out of the chair and walked into the kitchen, glancing over her shoulder, and pulled a cigarette out of the pack she'd hidden in her purse. She moved to stand beside the sliding glass doors of the kitchen, dragging deeply on the smoke and exhaling out the door into the warm spring air.

She was starting to get antsy. She missed her friends and was becoming rather anxious for them to return. Jenny, of course, was already in Japan, living at the lookout with Piccolo. Catie and Trunks, however, were still spending time with Catie's family in Southern California. And judging from the most recent postcard, Leelee and Seventeen were in or somewhere near Barcelona.

She dragged deeply on the cigarette again. What was she doing with her life? She needed something to do. There was only so much she could clean the house, only so much food she could prepare in a day that wouldn't spoil. And while she enjoyed spending time with her husband quietly reading books or cuddling up to watch a movie, she felt like she was wasting her time.

"Wow! Something smells good!"

The sound of her husband's voice made her jump; she quickly flicked the half-smoked cigarette out into the yard and waved her arms wildly to clear any smoke as he walked into the kitchen.

"What are you doing?"

"Get out of here, you nasty squirrels!" she shouted out the door, then snapped it shut and looked up at him.

"Squirrels?" Gohan asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Nasty things," she muttered. She pushed her red curls out of her face and smiled. "Hungry?"

"Always," he answered with a laugh as they headed back to the dining room. "Wow! You really went all out this morning!" he said appreciatively as he sat down at the table. "I didn't forget a special occasion or something, did I?"

She shook her head and sat to his right. "Jenny and Piccolo were supposed to come for breakfast, but they're too tired."

"Oh, that's right. Sorry, babe," he said, reaching over and rubbing her back. "Maybe next time."

She shrugged and reached for a slice of bacon. She snapped it between her teeth and said, "No one has time for me anymore."

"Hey. Come on now. Everybody's just enjoying their alone time. None of us have had this before, ya know?" he said, piling food on his plate. "What's the matter? Aren't I enough for you?"

"Of course you are," she said. "It's just so… quiet… around here."

"Yeah, I know. It's nice."

She sighed, pulling one knee up under her chin.

"You need a hobby," he told her as he dug into his breakfast.

"Maybe you're right," she said in an airy, sullen voice. Still staring blankly at the table, she snapped another piece of bacon between her teeth.

* * *

"CATIE! OW! Can't we – OW – give it a rest?!" Trunks cried.

"NEVER!" she shouted back, dropping to the ground and sweeping Trunks' feet out from under him. He landed hard on his back in the sand.

She stood triumphantly over him, her hands on her hips.

"You suck," he groaned.

"You're just mad," she said, dropping to her knees to straddle his hips, "cause you're getting soft." She poked at his bare abs.

"You're as bad as my dad," he said.

"That's who I'm worried about!" she answered. "Do you know how much crap I'll catch from him if I don't keep training?"

"I know, I know," Trunks said, pushing himself up on his elbows. "Come on, then. It's my turn to kick your ass." He bucked his hips, tossing her sideways into the sand, where she rolled and jumped to her feet.

"That's the spirit!" she grinned, raising her fists. "Put yer dukes up."

He rolled his eyes as he got to his feet, dropping into a defensive stance.

"Now don't hold back on me this time!" she ordered, lunging at him once more.

* * *

Leelee drifted along the top of the brilliant turquoise water, her eyes wide at the beautiful marine life surrounding her. Jewel-toned fish zipped by in schools, darting in and out among the coral. She glanced to her right and watched as Seventeen flipped in the water, diving under and floating back to the surface. She giggled through the mouthpiece of her snorkel. He caught her eye and pointed up and she nodded.

They surfaced, spitting the rubber tubing from their mouths and slicking their goggles to the tops of their heads.

"Wow!" Leelee breathed. "I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life!"

Seventeen grinned. "I have," he answered, swimming closer to her.

"Oh, stoppit," she giggled as he reached for her.

"C'mere," he said and wrapped his arms around her waist. She barely had time to draw a breath before he yanked her under the water. He pressed his lips to hers, sending a chill up her spine. She smiled against his kiss, holding her breath, kicking her legs slowly in the deep water. She jumped suddenly as something brushed her foot and broke the kiss, kicking wildly for the surface again.

She sucked in a lungful of air and glanced wildly around.

"What happened?" Seventeen asked in an irritated sort of way.

"Something hit my foot! Oh my god, it's a shark! We're gonna die!" she cried.

Seventeen threw his head back and laughed. "Oh my god, Leelee, it wasn't a shark."

"How do you know?" she demanded.

He was laughing, his sunburned shoulders shaking.

"It's not funny," she whined and reached out to slap at him. "Quit laughing at me!"

Dark clouds started to roll overhead, darkening the sky. The wind picked up, sending strong ripples across the surface of the water.

Leelee turned to look up at the sky. "Is that a storm rolling in?"

"Kind'a looks like it," Seventeen said, all laughter in his voice gone. "We should get out of the water."

"Yeah," Leelee breathed, staring at the rolling black clouds which seemed to move unnaturally fast across the sky. They turned and swam for the shore, thunder rumbling overhead. The wind blew stronger, whipping saltwater into their faces as they swam, waves picking up and pushing them along in their tow.

They soon reached the beach and ran across the white sand, stopping to scoop up their beach towels.

"I don't like this," Seventeen said in a concerned voice.

Leelee looked at him questioningly.

"Something doesn't feel right," he added in a quiet voice as they watched the storm clouds gathering. "You feel it?"

She closed her eyes for a moment, sensing the air around her. He was right. There was an eerie feeling permeating the air, chilling her to the bone. She opened her eyes slowly, surprised to see that the brilliantly blue water had turned a steely gray and everything around her seemed to have lost its color.

"We should go," Seventeen said. He took Leelee by the wrist and pulled her along with him as they made their way back to the road that would lead them into town. Even as they hurried across the pavement, their bare feet slapping the ground painfully as they went, Leelee could only think of the knots twisting in her stomach. She couldn't explain it, but something bad was coming and she knew it. She hated premonitions like this and it worried her that she was so far separated from her friends. She'd slacked off on her training and was now regretting that decision, too.

Lightning flashed across the skies, a booming crack of thunder sounded moments later, vibrating the very air around them. They were nearing the city now and Leelee wrapped her arms around herself against the wind. They broke into a jog, seeing the old world hostel come into view. Another clap of thunder rang in their ears and the sky let loose a torrent of rain.

They threw themselves inside the building, staring back out into the street as the storm raged outside.

"Well," Seventeen chuckled, "that escalated quickly."

Leelee nodded and rung the water from her hair. The clouds churned and spiraled overhead, darker than any clouds she'd ever seen before. She and Seventeen turned and made their way across the common room where other backpackers were playing pool and speaking loudly in a language she didn't understand.

Once dried and dressed, Leelee had hoped the eerie feeling of the storm outside would subside. She was disappointed, however, to find the feeling growing stronger as the storm continued.

"This is bad, Seventeen," she said, staring out the tiny, dirty window.

He was sitting on the bed, pulling on his shoes, his expression one of deep concentration. He didn't like the way the storm felt either. There was a haunting quality to it, something old and primal as if the storm itself were alive and vengeful. It nagged at him as he tied his shoelaces.

"Seventeen?"

He turned to look at her. "It's just a storm," he lied.

"Don't give me that crap," she spat back at him. "You suck at lying."

He shook his head, getting to his feet, and pulled on a long-sleeved shirt. "It'll be all right. C'mon. Let's go see if we can grab a bite to eat."

"I'm not hungry," she said quietly, turning back to stare out the rain-spattered windowpane. She had the sudden urge to flee the hostel and jump on the first flight she could get back to Japan. She was terribly frightened for the other girls.

"Look, if it is something bad…"

"It is, "she insisted.

"We'll know soon enough. And we'll go wherever we're needed, okay?"

She looked at him again, then nodded. "Okay."

"Now come on," Seventeen said, opening the door, "I'm famished."

Rubbing her arms to chase away the lingering chill, Leelee stepped through the door with Seventeen, who grabbed an umbrella, and ventured out into the storm to find a place to eat.

* * *

Author's note: This is the fifth in a series I've been writing – if you have a hard time keeping track of what's going on, it may help to read those stories. However, I don't think it will be too difficult for someone to just jump in on this one, but I just thought I'd mention that. Please review! Thanks so much!


	2. Watching Paige

Gohan wandered through the house, wondering where his wife had gone. It wasn't until he entered the kitchen and glanced through the glass doors to the yard beyond that he noticed her. She was bent double, swinging a garden hoe, tearing up a section of the yard. She wore a long green skirt and from where Gohan stood, it looked like she was without a shirt.

"Oh dear lord," he muttered, walking out the back door and striding across the lawn. Her bare back and shoulders were already turning pink. The strings from earbuds dangled from her ears and every now and then she paused to spit out sunflower seed casings. "Lins! What are you doing?" He called loud enough to be heard over her music.

She straightened up and wiped the sweat from her forehead, pulling the earphones out of her ears. She wasn't topless (he found himself simultaneously relieved and disappointed in that revelation) but wore a backless crochet top. "You told me to get a hobby," she answered around the wad of sunflower seeds in her cheek.

"Tearing up the yard wasn't exactly what I had in mind," he snickered, offering her a drink from his water bottle.

She narrowed her eyes. "I'm planting a garden." She accepted the drink from him.

"Oh!" he laughed. "Duh. I feel stupid now."

"That's okay," she laughed, standing on tiptoe to kiss him. "You don't have to be smart. You're pretty enough you can get away with being dumb." She patted his cheek harshly in a patronizing way and turned back to the sod she was trying to bust apart.

Gohan blushed and laughed again. "Yeah, okay, Lins." He rolled his eyes and grabbed a shovel lying nearby.

"This is a good idea, actually," he said, helping turn the soil. "It'll save money on groceries."

Lindsey nodded. "With the way you eat…"

He smiled at her. "It's dad's fault. You know I get it from him."

"Yes and god help us if he keeps coming over for lunch. I'll never be able to keep enough food in that house."

* * *

"Don't you think we should go visit them?" Piccolo asked. "She's tried to make plans with you four times now."

"I know," Jenny whined. "But I'm just so tired."

"You're going to be tired here just the same as you would there," Piccolo said. Frankly, he was needing a change of scenery if even for just an afternoon.

"But, Piccolo, I look like hell!" she proclaimed. She grabbed a hank of her hair. "You see this? I haven't washed it in a week!"

He crossed his arms and sighed.

"You see?" she said, pointing at her face. "Glasses! I don't even remember where my contacts are! Ninety percent of my clothes are covered in baby puke, I haven't even brushed my teeth yet today, and if my boobs get anymore engorged, I think they're going to pop!"

Piccolo shifted uncomfortably. Maybe she was having a harder time adjusting to this parenting thing than he was. After all, she was the one whose hormones were going bonkers. She was the one who had to feed Paige every time the baby squalled (not to mention the extra energy it took from Jenny's body to be able to feed the baby.) And she was still doing all the laundry, shopping, and debating about adding college to the mess. He'd been so distracted with how tired he was, he hadn't thought much about how she was quite possibly twice as exhausted as he felt. He reached to hug her and she pirouetted out of his reach.

"No! No way, Piccolo!" she snapped. "Don't you even think about touching me. The last thing I want right now is to end up pregnant again!"

He stared at her in disbelief. "A hug would make you pregnant again?"

"Quite possibly, with as fertile as you obviously are! Didn't take much the first time, did it?" She looked on the verge of hysterics.

"Tell you what," he began in the best apologetic tone he could muster, "Why don't you go get a long, hot shower? I'll watch Paige. You get cleaned up and then we'll talk about going to see Gohan."

Jenny chewed her lip for a moment. "Okay," she huffed, and walked away muttering to herself.

* * *

Jenny was feeling considerably better by the time she and Piccolo arrived at Mount Pazou. It was strange to Piccolo to be on this side of the mountain – Goku's home was on the opposite side. Even stranger to him was the style of Gohan's house – a Victorian style manor with a steep, many-angled roof, gingerbread trim on all the eaves, and even a tower. Piccolo wrinkled his nose at it as he and Jenny landed. It made him think of a dollhouse.

"Hey! You made it!" Gohan cried, rounding the edge of the house. He was wiping soil from his hands on an old t-shirt that he held – he'd obviously pulled it off to try and cool down in the mid-afternoon heat. His shoulders were turning a golden brown in the sun.

"Hi Gohan," Jenny smiled. "Is Lindsey around?"

"Oh yeah, she's out back," he answered, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "She's going to be so excited to see you."

Jenny nodded and shifted Paige in her arms, then wandered around the side of the house cooing, "You want to see your Aunt Linnie? Do you?"

"Interesting house," Piccolo commented, staring up at it. Now that he was closer, he wasn't so sure it resembled a dollhouse anymore. There was a slightly spooky feel to it and it reminded him slightly of the interior of the warehouse they'd occupied back in America when they'd gone to visit.

"Oh, that," Gohan said glancing over his shoulder. "It's the style Lindsey always wanted, so, you know, she always gets what she wants." Gohan stepped closer to Piccolo. "How ya doing? You guys getting along okay?"

Piccolo nodded. "Just tired, that's all."

Gohan chuckled. "Baby keeping you up all night?"

"Yeah."

Gohan glanced around for a minute. "Why don't you go lay down on the couch for a minute? I won't tell."

"I don't want to be rude," Piccolo said.

"Nah, you need a break," Gohan said, slapping the T-shirt over his shoulder. "Go on. I'll cover for you."

Relief seemed to wash over Piccolo as he nodded to Gohan and entered the house. It didn't take long to find the large couch pressed up against one wall in the living room. He threw himself upon it and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Lindsey and Jenny had retreated to the shade of a huge sycamore tree, its long, thick branches twisted and swooped down near the ground. They stretched their legs out in the cool, soft grass as Paige lay nearby on her favorite pink baby blanket. She was giggling and cooing as a butterfly fluttered lazily overhead.

"She's so adorable," Lindsey gushed.

Jenny smiled, but looked thoroughly exhausted.

"You okay?" Lindsey asked in a concerned voice.

"Yeah," Jenny sighed. "It's just… it's been four months without hardly any sleep. And all the housework. I feel like an old woman."

Lindsey laughed. "You're only nineteen."

"I feel like I'm ninety."

"Aww," Lindsey said sympathetically. She looked at Paige again.

"Oh hell, I gotta put these in the fridge," Jenny said, pulling two bottles of milk from the diaper bag.

"You already mixed them?" Lindsey asked.

"Eh… it's not formula," Jenny said.

"Ohhh." Lindsey got to her feet and brushed the grass from her skirt. "I'll put them in the fridge for you."

"Thanks," Jenny said.

Lindsey took the bottles and carried them inside, sticking them in the door of the refrigerator. She heard a snoring from the other room and quietly crept through the house, peering into the living room. Piccolo was sound asleep, face-down on the couch. She smirked and returned to the back yard. "Hey, Jen, you're never gonna guess…"

Jenny was lying on her side in the grass, sound asleep. Lindsey shook her head and plopped herself on the ground, keeping a watchful eye on Paige.

"Hey, Jenny…" Gohan said, walking across the yard.

"Shh!" Lindsey hushed him. "She's asleep."

Gohan froze in his tracks and laughed. "Piccolo is too."

"Poor things," Lindsey giggled. "They're exhausted."

"Well, do you think we can watch Paige long enough to let them get a few hours of sleep?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

"I dunno," she said uncertainly. "Do you think we can handle it?"

"Aww, she's just a little baby," Gohan said, reaching over and tickling Paige's tummy. The little green namek giggled and curled her legs around his wrist, grabbing his finger to gnaw on it. "We can always wake them up if we need to."

They spent the afternoon playing with Paige in the shade of the sycamore tree, handing her little flowers that she ogled in delight, shaking little toys for her to grab at, and singing lullabies to her. Gohan managed to properly heat a bottle and feed it to her. They argued, of course, about who had to change the diaper and Lindsey looked rather irritated when she lost.

"I'd better get some supper started," Lindsey said, getting to her feet. "It's getting late."

Gohan was lying flat on his back, Paige held in the air above him as she gurgled and smiled at him. "Do you think we should have one?" he asked suddenly.

Lindsey froze. "Have one? One what?"

"You know," he said turning his head to look at her. "A baby."

"I… Gohan…"

"Aw, c'mon," he smiled. "Haven't you had fun today? And you wouldn't be bored anymore."

"I also wouldn't sleep anymore," Lindsey answered. "Do you know how cranky I am when I don't sleep?"

He sighed and looked back at Paige. He looked pouty.

Lindsey rolled her eyes, knowing she was going to regret her words. "Look, I'm not saying no. I'm just saying… not yet…"

He looked to her again. "You really wanna have kids someday?"

She drew a deep breath. "Well… yeah… I – I suppose. One day. Just not anytime too soon…"

Gohan smiled back up at Paige. "You'll have a playmate before you know it."

Lindsey shoved Gohan's side with her toe. "Quit it."

He grinned widely and laughed. He then lowered Paige towards him, pulling funny faces as she squeaked with laughter.

* * *

"Piccolo," Lindsey said softly, shaking his shoulder. "Piccolo, get up. Supper's ready. Are you hungry?"

The tall Namek slowly opened his eyes, blinking them at the unfamiliar surroundings. He jumped when he realized Lindsey was standing over him, and she jumped, too.

"I didn't mean to startle you!" she said, her hand clutching at her heart.

He sat up. "You're fine." He rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"

She glanced over her shoulder at the clock on the wall. "Oh, a little after seven."

"Seven?!" he cried jumping up. "Why'd you all let me sleep that long?! Jenny's gonna kill me!"

"Whoa," Lindsey chuckled. "You needed the rest. You're exhausted!"

"No, Jenny should have been the one resting, not me," he said, angry with himself.

"Jenny's asleep, too," Lindsey said.

"What? But who-?"

"We watched Paige," Lindsey said in a patient voice. "She's just fine. Clean, fed, and being tickled to death by her uncle Gohan in the yard."

Piccolo struggled to not roll his eyes at the words "uncle Gohan." He didn't understand Jenny's and Lindsey's need to make everyone around them "family."

"Thanks for watching her," he said.

"Can you go tell everyone supper's ready?" Lindsey asked, heading back towards the kitchen.

"Sure."

They enjoyed a wonderful dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and everything else that could possibly be served with such a meal. Lindsey rambled on and on about how she would like to start a hobby farm on their land there, while Gohan was telling Piccolo about which college he was considering attending. Jenny (who was much more perky after her nap) was telling Lindsey horror stories about becoming a mother, including everything from how to clean baby vomit out of a mattress to accidentally turning a breast-pump on to full suction.

Gohan actually choked upon hearing that and Jenny thumped him hard on the back without pausing her story.

"Seriously. I thought it was going to pull them off."

Lindsey was in tears, she was laughing so hard. She leaned sideways in her chair, holding her stomach with one arm, gripping the table with her free hand to steady herself.

"Oh, sure, it's funny to you!" Jenny yelled. "You just wait. Mm-hmm. Wait until you pop one out. You'll see what it's like."

Lindsey drew deep breaths, wiping the corners of her eyes with her fingertips. "Oh-ho-ho… I am soooo sorry, Jenny."

"Like hell you are," Jenny muttered. She fixed her eyes upon Lindsey's; the redhead clenched her jaw shut hard, her lips trembling, and, unable to stop herself, gave a huge snort and fell back to laughing once more.

Gohan turned towards baby Paige, who was lying in a basket filled with a pillow and blankets (the closest thing to a bassinet that Lindsey could come up with). "You hungry?" Gohan asked. "Here." He grabbed a chicken leg from the table.

"Gohan! She can't eat that!" Jenny screeched.

"Aw, but she wants it," Gohan said, trying not to smile. Freaking Jenny out was the best revenge he could come up with for the breast-pump story.

"She doesn't even have teeth yet!"

"Sorry, kiddo, mom says no," Gohan spoke to the basket, taking a bite of the chicken himself. Paige tipped her head to the side and grinned.

"You're all a bunch of lunatics," Piccolo muttered.

* * *

"Man, it's nice out here this evening," Gohan sighed as they retreated to the large front porch after dinner. Jenny and Lindsey sat on the porch swing (something she absolutely insisted upon having when they first moved in) pushing themselves back and forward with their toes.

"Looks like it might storm," Piccolo said, looking out at the darkening sunset.

Lindsey slowly got to her feet. "What is that?" she asked softly, walking the length of the porch and leaning over the railing, gazing at the sunset. Black clouds seemed to materialize out of thin air, rolling and churning in the sky as they grew. Fear washed over Lindsey as she stared at them. "You guys don't get tornadoes in Japan, do you?"

"Well, sure we do," Gohan blinked at her. "But never up here on the mountain."

His words did very little to calm her. "Those clouds are making me nervous. I hate tornadoes."

"They're just clouds," Gohan said, walking to stand beside her.

Jenny tipped her head to the side, considering the sky. "I don't know, Gohan," she said softly. "I don't think I like them either."

Gohan turned. "Huh? You girls are being silly. It's just going to be a thunderstorm. I wouldn't worry about it."

"Should we head back to the lookout?" Jenny asked, sounding concerned, yet disappointed. She was really enjoying spending time with her friends and Paige was being so good.

Piccolo frowned. "I really don't want to get caught in this storm."

Jenny sighed. "All right. Let me get Paige."

"We don't even know if it'll hit us," Gohan protested. "Seriously, guys, why are you all freakin' out over a little rain?"

Despite the balmy evening heat, Lindsey felt a chill run down her spine. There was definitely something about that storm that she didn't like. She didn't understand why, though – she usually enjoyed thunderstorms. But this… this was different.

Jenny and Piccolo said goodbye to Gohan and Lindsey, then took for the sky, heading back to the lookout.

"They'd better come back soon," Lindsey huffed.

"They will," Gohan assured her, sitting on the porch swing.

But truth be told, it wasn't when her friends would visit again that was bothering her. It was those clouds – black and twisting ominously as they spread and covered the sky with an inky darkness. It was unnatural and she didn't like it at all.


	3. Where Is She?

"…In other news, weather experts are still unable to explain the torrential downpour that has plagued the entire planet for over three days. Flood warnings are in effect until further notice. Authorities are strongly advising against anyone venturing out into this storm…"

"Man, it's really bad out there," Trunks said, staring out the window at the blackened sky. He and Catie had been listening to the radio in the darkness of the house for over half an hour now. Fallen tree limbs, ripped down in the storm, had knocked out the power.

Catie stood and moved to his side, sliding her hand into the crook of his elbow. "Trunks, I'm starting to worry."

He looked at her. "About?"

"Everyone. Your parents, Lindsey and Gohan, Jenny and Piccolo…"

Trunks tipped his head to the side in agreement, "Seventeen and Leelee," he added.

"Do you think they're okay?" she asked.

"Ah, I'm sure they're fine," he answered. "But this storm is starting to get to me. I don't even know if it's day or night anymore, it's so dark outside."

Catie wasn't sure herself. The clock on the wall said twelve o'clock. But was that noon or midnight? She racked her brain, trying to figure it out, but she couldn't remember. Thunder roared outside as another brilliant flash of lightning temporarily blinded them both.

"I bet there's some killer waves out there right now," Catie breathed.

"Oh my god, you can't be serious."

She shrugged and leaned closer to the window as movement caught her eye. From the strobe light like effect from the lightning, she could see two men on the sidewalk in front of her house. They seemed to consider the house for a moment as they stood in the rain.

She narrowed her eyes, staring down at them from her second-story window. As darkness fell once again, she lost track of them. She didn't have to wait long to figure out where they went. A sudden shattering of glass sounded from downstairs and Catie's mother screamed.

"MOM!" Catie shouted, running for the door. She threw herself down the hallway and down the stairs with Trunks on her heels. She froze at the foot of the stairs as the two big men leered at her through the eyes of their ski masks. Catie's mother lay unconscious on the hardwood floor before them.

"Mrs. Pariani!" Trunks cried, pushing past Catie. He knelt over her and felt for a pulse, heaving a sigh of relief when he found it.

Anger swelled within Catie as her hair flashed to a bright green, her eyes blooming purple. "You hurt my mother," she hissed in a deathly tone.

"Stay back, you freak!" one of the men ordered, raising a black sidearm and pointing it at Catie.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not afraid of you," she said, taking a step closer.

"Catie, NOOOOO!" Trunks screamed as the man pulled the trigger.

With a movement so fast it was impossible to see, Catie grinned, the bullet clutched in her hand. She released it and it clattered to the floor. Terror filled the eyes of the two men and they scrambled for the door.

"Ah, ah, ah," Catie said and threw her arms out, thick vines erupting from her hands and wrapping around the throats of the vandals. The vines snaked their way around the men's bodies as they struggled to escape. Catie flew at them, kicking one so hard he crashed into the other and both of them toppled out the front door, completely cocooned in vines.

"Ca-Catie," Mrs. Pariani's voice croaked. Her eyes flew wide at the sight of her daughter.

"Mom," Catie gasped, kneeling next to her, Catie's hair returning to its golden brown with dyed blue streaks.

"What? What happened to you?" Mrs. Pariani asked in shock.

"It's okay, mom," Catie soothed. "I'm okay."

"I'll take care of this," Trunks said and stood, heading for the doorway.

"But, your hair! Your eyes!" Mrs. Pariani cried. "I don't understand!"

"Mom, are you hurt?" Catie asked, trying to look her mother over thoroughly. Mrs. Pariani recoiled as if scalded. Catie was hurt. "Mom, it's just me. I promise."

Trunks entered the house once more, shaking the rain from his long hair. "Is your mom okay?"

Mrs. Pariani swallowed and nodded, getting shakily to her feet. "Oh, my head," she groaned.

"Let's put some ice on that," Catie suggested, taking her mom by the elbow and leading her into the kitchen. She sat her mother firmly at the kitchen island and pulled a bag of frozen peas from the refrigerator. "Stupid looters. One major storm and everyone thinks they gotta go out and steal other people's hard earned stuff." Wrapping the peas in a towel, she asked Trunks, "What'd you do with them?"

"Left 'em tangled in those vines and set 'em on the curb for trash pickup," he smirked.

"Trash pickup isn't running right now."

"I know."

* * *

Jenny slowly opened her eyes to the pitch blackness of her room. The storm was blowing throughout the lookout, whipping a cool breeze into her room. What was that? She could've sworn a loud noise had woken her, but now all was silent. She rolled over in bed to wake Piccolo and was startled to see him sitting up in bed, staring intently at the door.

"Piccolo?" she asked softly.

"Shh," he hushed her.

"What is it?" she asked in a barely audible whisper.

"Do you hear that?" he asked.

Jenny froze, listening hard. There was nothing but the storm. "No."

"Exactly."

Fear pierced Jenny. She scrambled for the alarm clock, staring at the bright red numbers. It was four in the morning and Paige wasn't crying. She was well past due for a feeding. Jenny kicked viciously at the sheets, trying to untangle her legs as Piccolo got out of bed. They raced for their bedroom door and he ripped it open. Mr. Popo was sitting on the floor, sobbing.

"Popo!" Jenny cried. "What happened?"

"I couldn't stop them!" he wailed, big tears leaking from his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Piccolo demanded. "Stop who?"

Jenny threw herself at the nursery door, banging it open, her heart thundering in her chest. It couldn't be. She stared in horror at the overturned crib that lay in the middle of the room. "PAIGE?!" she screamed and ran for the crib, flipping it over to reveal nothing but empty blankets. "PAIGE?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" She clawed through the blankets, her eyes roaming the room wildly, looking for some sign of her daughter.

"Jenny, what's – " Piccolo cut himself off midsentence as he entered the room. The crib was now laying on its side and Jenny sat on her knees with the baby blanket in her hands, screaming in horror. "WHERE IS SHE?" he bellowed.

"They took her," Mr. Popo sobbed.

"WHO? WHO TOOK HER?"

"I don't know," Mr. Popo answered sadly.

Piccolo couldn't breathe. His chest and throat felt tight, his vision was going blurry. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails broke the skin of his palms, drawing blood. His power level sky rocketed as he screamed to the night, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

Gohan rubbed at his eyes, the shrill ringing of Lindsey's cell phone grating on his nerves as it blared that damned guitar rift from an old Guns'n'Roses song. Reaching across her, he blinked at the bright screen that revealed the picture of a cross-eyed Jenny sticking out her tongue. "Four in the morning?" he growled to himself before sliding a finger across the screen. "Yeah?"

He wasn't prepared to hear the terrified blubbering sound coming from the other end of the line. He sat up in bed, pressing the phone harder against his ear, trying to understand. "Jenny, I can't understand you. What's wrong?"

"G-G-Gohan," she sobbed, her voice sounding strained as if she were in intense agony.

"It's me, Jen. What's going on?"

"P-Pai… I… help…shh-shh… g-g…"

Gohan slapped at Lindsey who slapped back at him in her sleep.

"Lindsey, WAKE UP. Jenny's hurt."

Lindsey bolted upright. "What?"

"Here," he said, handing her the phone. "I can't understand her."

"Jenny, baby, what's wrong?" Lindsey asked into the phone.

"T-too… k-k-k h-her."

"What? Took what?"

Jenny drew a deep breath and screamed again, making Lindsey jump. Her wide green eyes looked to Gohan frantically and he shook his head.

"MY BABY!" Jenny bawled.

Lindsey's breath caught in her throat. "Someone took Paige?!"

Gohan jumped, looking at Lindsey in horror. "No," he whispered.

"C-Can y-y-y-"

"We'll be right there," Lindsey promised and hung up.

Gohan was already getting dressed. "Who would steal a baby?"

Lindsey sat in the bed, stunned.

"Lindsey, get dressed," Gohan barked, pulling on a pair of bright orange pants, exactly like his father wore.

She continued to stare.

"LINDSEY!"

She shook her head and jumped out of bed, throwing on a torn pair of jeans and a black tank.

"You go get dad," Gohan ordered. "I'm going straight to the lookout."

"NO!" Lindsey protested. "I want to come with you!"

"You can't fly in this storm," Gohan argued. "We need dad. Go get him and he can bring you there with the instant transmission."

"Okay, but you be careful," Lindsey said, pressing her lips to his quickly and running down the stairs, grabbing the keys to the car as she went.

She began to wonder if flying wouldn't have been safer. The road was barely visible through the torrential rain that beat upon the windshield. She'd made the drive to the other side of the mountain several times before, so luckily she knew the road. It was that, more than the visible road, that guided her to her in-law's house. She was fighting tears as she rounded a corner. Poor Jenny. What must it be like to have your own child disappear in the middle of the night? Lindsey shuddered, not wanting to know that horror. She felt sick to her stomach.

She finally slammed on the brakes as she reached Goku and Chichi's house, the wheels of the car sliding in the mud. She threw open the car door and ran for their house through the pouring rain, banging her fists on the door. In the few seconds it had taken her to reach the door, she was already soaked to the bone.

"Dammit," she hissed and tried the doorknob. To her surprise, it opened. 'Don't they lock their doors?' she thought in wonder as she stepped into the darkened house. "Goku?" she cried frantically. There was no answer. She ran down the hallway to their room, shoved the door open and ran to the bed where he and Chichi were sleeping peacefully.

"Goku! Wake up! Wake up!" she cried, shaking his bare shoulder.

He opened his eyes drowsily. "Huh? Lindsey?"

She slicked her sopping curls out of her face to keep from dripping on him. "Goku," she said, trying not to cry, "Something's happened. Piccolo's baby has been kidnapped!"

Goku jumped up in bed. "WHAT?"

"Gohan's flying to the lookout now, he told me to come get you," Lindsey said, tears starting to leak from her eyes as her worry over baby Paige grew.

Chichi stirred and sat up. "What happened?"

"Someone took Piccolo's daughter," Goku answered, getting out of bed. He quickly pulled on his orange Gi over the boxers he'd been sleeping in.

"Oh no," Chichi moaned. "Who on earth would do something like that?"

"I don't know," Goku answered, sitting to tie his boots. "But I'm going to find out." He stood once again. "You said they're at the lookout?"

Lindsey nodded. "Gohan said you could take us there by instant transmission."

"No, you stay here," Goku said.

"What?!" Lindsey shrieked. "No way!"

"Lindsey, it could be dangerous. Gohan will never forgive me if something happens to you."

"Dammit, Dad! I'll get there with or without your help!"

Goku didn't blink at her calling him "dad." She did it often and he was actually rather fond of her referring to him that way. She was his daughter-in-law after all, and he was the closest thing she had to a real father now. He considered her a moment, knowing she could hold her own in a fight (he'd trained her himself) but still cautious to bring her along. Anything dumb enough to steal from Piccolo, yet clever enough to do it without getting caught, was likely to be dangerous. "Fine," he answered sternly, "But you do as I say. If I tell you to get out of there, you do it."

She nodded emphatically and grabbed his elbow as he pressed two fingers to his forehead.

* * *

Gohan knew the situation was going to be bad, but nothing could have prepared him for the haunting sounds coming out of that room. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and his blood turned to ice; Jenny was screaming in agony as though she was being tortured. In all his life, Gohan had never heard such a disturbing sound. As he rounded the corner and peered into the room, he saw her. She was sitting on her knees in the middle of the room, clutching a soft pink blanket, great tears rolling down her face as she screamed again and again, rocking forward and back.

Piccolo was standing with his back to everyone, not saying a word.

"I'm here," Gohan said and stepped into the room.

Piccolo turned slightly and nodded.

"Dad's on his way," Gohan added, not sure of what else to say. He cast another sideways glance at Jenny, who didn't seem to notice him.

"Good," Piccolo answered. His voice sounded pained and tight in his throat.

Gohan placed his hand on Piccolo's shoulder. "Piccolo, I'm so-"

"Don't," Piccolo said, shrugged Gohan's hand off. "I appreciate it, Gohan. But I'm struggling to hold myself together. If you comfort me right now…"

Gohan understood and respected Piccolo's need for space. But he couldn't handle the way Jenny was screaming. He knelt next to her and touched her arm. "Jenny?" he asked softly.

She turned to look at him, her brown eyes staring at him in horror. "G-G-Go-h-han…"

"Jenny, I'm so sorry," he said in the same soft voice.

She nodded, clenching her teeth and screwing up her face, trying to fight the tears. He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and she fell against his chest, clutching at his back and screaming into his shirt. He stared at the floor, trying to detach himself mentally from the pure anguish radiating from Jenny, for fear of succumbing to tears himself. He couldn't do it. He trembled as he held her, his anger and power level rising dangerously.

"JENNY!" Lindsey cried, bursting into the room. She fell to her knees next to Jenny and Gohan. "Oh, Jenny. I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry." Her voice was beginning to crack and Jenny reached out for her, pulling Lindsey into Gohan's embrace.

Jenny couldn't think straight. Pain such as she had never felt before filled her chest and washed over every nerve ending. It was like someone had punched a hole through her heart – a hole that only her daughter could fill. She was becoming dizzy and lightheaded – the only things keeping her conscious were her face against Gohan's chest and Lindsey's arms around her waist as they tried to console her.

"Piccolo?" Goku asked.

"We have to find her, Goku," Piccolo said, still staring at the wall, tears burning at his eyes as the love of his life continued to scream and sob. He wanted to comfort her, to ease her sorrow, but somehow he couldn't even look at her. It hurt too much and he needed to keep his composure at the moment.

"We will, Piccolo," Goku promised, "But we're going to need all the help we can get."


	4. Leelee's Vision

"Trunks! Drive faster!"

"I can't go any faster in this storm, Catie!"

Catie sat back in the seat of the flying car (the latest model from Capsule Corporation) as she and Trunks made a bee-line for Japan. She'd gotten the call from Lindsey a few hours ago. Now all she could think of was getting to Jenny. She was furious with herself for not going directly back to Japan when everyone else had left. If only she'd been there, she could have done something. Now her friend was in trouble and she was nowhere close to being able to help. She slammed her back against the seat again.

"Would you stop? Mom will kill us if we tear this up. It's still a prototype!" Trunks scolded, squinting through the rain-washed windshield. He wanted to get back to his friends just as badly as she did, but her snipping at him wasn't going to help anything.

"Can we go higher? Maybe we could fly over the storm," Catie suggested in a kinder tone, realizing she'd been a little too angry with her boyfriend.

Trunks looked up at the sky. "I suppose we could try it." He steered the car higher, rising dangerously close to the black ceiling of clouds. Lightning flashed angrily around them. "Cat, I dunno about this."

Her face was pressed to the window, staring out at the clouds that looked ready to swallow their hover-car. "Trunks?" Catie asked in a worried voice as the car shook.

The turbulence proved too much for the vehicle as it pitched and spiraled out of Trunks' control. Catie screamed as he fought to straighten the car. It rolled violently, pitching Catie against the dash, falling into a nosedive towards the churning ocean below.

"Come on, you stupid thing!" Trunks growled, pulling hard at the steering wheel.

Catie had her hands over her face, blood pouring from between her fingers. Her nose had broken upon impact with the dashboard. "Trunks, we're gonna crash!" she screamed.

Making a snap decision, Trunks wrapped an arm around Catie, blasted the roof off the top of the vehicle and pulled her to safety an instant before the hover-car slammed into the waves below. They hung in midair, staring at the car as it was sucked under the dark waters and vanished.

"What do we do now?" Catie asked, sounding frightened.

"We're gonna have to fly the old-fashioned way," Trunks said, releasing his grip on her. "You think you can fly that far?"

Wiping at her nose with the back of her hand and streaking blood across her cheek, Catie nodded. The rain was coming down so hard and cold, it stung her skin. But all that mattered to her right then was getting to Jenny. She'd worry about her own comfort later.

"Let's go," Trunks said and they bolted through the air, racing as hard as they could to reach their friends who needed them so desperately.

* * *

"AGH!" Lindsey cried in frustration, clenching her cell phone in her hand. "I can't get through to Leelee!"

"Keep trying," Gohan ordered.

Lindsey huffed and tapped at the screen again, lifting the phone to her ear once more. A mechanical voice rang in her ear, "We're sorry, but the subscriber you're trying to reach has traveled outside the coverage area. Please try your call again later."

"Grrrrrr," she growled, swiping the screen and tapping out a text message, her nails clicking on the smooth glass face of the phone.

Gohan turned to his dad. "Where are we even going to look?"

Goku shook his head. "I don't know, son. Piccolo, can you think of anyone who'd want to harm you or Jenny?"

"No," Piccolo answered. "No one that could get in or out of here, at least."

"Mr. Popo, what did you say they looked like?" Goku asked.

"There were two of them," Mr. Popo answered sadly. "They were wearing dark cloaks. I couldn't see their faces."

"That doesn't give us much to go on," Gohan muttered.

"RRRAAAAHHHH!" Lindsey screamed. "Goddammit, Leelee!"

"Would you hush?" Piccolo growled, casting a side-ways glance at Jenny, who had passed out on the rug, still clutching the pink blanket. They'd tried to calm her, but she'd been inconsolable. Finally succumbing to a panic attack, she'd lost consciousness and they left her there to rest.

Lindsey was breathing heavily and cast Piccolo a dangerous look. "Well do you have a better way of getting a hold of them?" she hissed.

"Why don't I just go get them?" Goku suggested.

"How are you going to do that, Dad?" Gohan asked. "Seventeen doesn't have an energy signal and unless Leelee powered up, I doubt you could find her."

Goku frowned. "Well, if I could just get a good mental image of one of them…"

Lindsey quickly slid her fingers across the screen of her phone and shoved it in Goku's face.

"Ah, that works," Goku said and vanished.

"Just like that," Lindsey said, shaking her head quickly and stuffing her phone in her pocket. "Dad is something else, let me tell you what." She whipped her head towards the hallway as a stomping sound approached.

"Anyone care to tell me why I'm being summoned here in the middle of the night?" Vegeta asked angrily as he appeared in the doorway, his hair dripping onto his shoulders.

* * *

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh," Leelee said frantically, stuffing random bits of clothing into her pack. "What are we going to do? Oh my gosh! Poor Jenny!"

"Calm down, Leelee," Seventeen said. "We'll find the kid."

"The kid?" Leelee asked, rounding on him. "THE KID?! This isn't just some random kid, Seventeen! This is JENNY'S BABY! God, you can be such an ASSHOLE!"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Someone jumped on the bitch-cycle this morning. You PMSing again or what?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I will murder you in your sleep."

Goku grimaced and nervously scratched at the back of his neck. "Sorry to freak you guys out like this."

"Nah, you're fine," Seventeen answered calmly.

"Freaking out? Who's freaking out?" Leelee shrieked, yanking at the zipper on her bag. "I'M NOT FREAKING OUT!"

Goku and Seventeen stared at her, wide-eyed, neither of them wanting to make a wrong move.

Leelee hauled her pack onto her shoulders. "The hell we waitin' on, Saint Patrick's day? Let's move!"

* * *

Goku, Seventeen and Leelee appeared in the nursery of the lookout just as Catie and Trunks stumbled in, both of them soaked to the bone and shivering.

"Catie! Leelee!" Lindsey breathed. It was the first time she'd set eyes on either of them since her wedding. She threw herself at them, pulling them both into a hug, ignoring the fact that Catie was soaking the front of her shirt.

"Hey man," Trunks grinned weakly at Gohan.

"Trunks, are you okay?" Gohan asked in a concerned voice.

"Yeah, just… just worn out," he panted.

"Catie, what's wrong?" Lindsey asked, pushing back and grabbing Catie by the shoulders. "You're shivering."

Catie blinked slowly, as if unaware of her surroundings. "So… cold…" she muttered. Lindsey pressed a hand to Catie's face.

"You're like ice," she muttered, staring hard at her friend's unfocused eyes.

Trunks coughed and his knees buckled. He hit the floor hard, still coughing, struggling to catch his breath.

"You idiots," Vegeta growled. "You're hypothermic."

Lindsey's eyes flew wide at his words. "Shit." She ripped her shirt off, then yanked Catie's off and pulled her into a tight hug. "Leelee, get some blankets! Quick!"

"Lins… don't… feel good…" Catie muttered as Leelee ran from the room.

"I know, baby," Lindsey said softly. "Trunks, get those wet clothes off."

He looked up at her, drawing a rattling breath, "Are you… nuts?"

"Goddammit, lose the pride," she growled, tightening her grip around Catie as Catie shivered violently. "You ain't got anything that the rest of us haven't seen."

Leelee burst back into the room, her arms laden with heavy blankets.

"C'mon," Lindsey said. Keeping one arm around Catie's shoulders, she bent and hooked her other arm under Catie's knees, lifting her against her chest. "Gohan, get Trunks."

Gohan grabbed Trunks under his arms and hauled him to his feet, looping Trunks' arm over his shoulders and followed Lindsey across the hall to Jenny and Piccolo's bedroom, Leelee carrying the blankets. Once inside, Lindsey shoved the door shut with her hip. "I'm sorry to do this," Lindsey said, pulling at Catie's clothes. "Now's not the time to be modest." She was amazed at her own knowledge, how easily and naturally it came to her. Still shivering beyond control, Catie nodded and peeled the sopping wet clothing from her body. Leelee held one blanket up to shield Catie's body as she undressed and then wrapped it around her. Lindsey carefully walked Catie to the bed, helping her to lie down.

"Jenny…" Catie croaked.

"We'll take care of Jenny," Lindsey said. "Don't you worry about that."

Catie nodded as she shivered and laid her head on the pillow.

"Gohan, get those wet clothes off of him!" Lindsey barked.

"I- I can't-" Gohan started to protest.

"Damn your modesty," she growled, marching across the room and pulling Trunks' jacket from his shoulders. He shivered more violently than Catie had. "What the hell happened to you all?"

"Car… crashed in the… o-ocean," Trunks answered as his teeth chattered. "Had to fly…"

"You guys flew all this way in the storm?" Lindsey shrieked as she ripped his belt away. "You're crazy!"

"D-didn't have a… ch-choice," Trunks said as she pulled his shirt over his head.

"Dammit, Gohan, go find Dende," Lindsey ordered.

"Dende's not here," Gohan answered.

Lindsey whipped her head around. "What do you mean he's not here?"

"Dende went to Namek about a week ago," Gohan answered. "To visit his people. I told you that."

Lindsey's eyes rolled upwards as she thought for a minute. "Shit, you did tell me that."

Trunks tried to protest as she tugged his jeans down.

"I'm trying to help you, Trunks," she said in a patient voice. "Leelee, gimme that blanket."

Leelee held out a thick quilt, draping it over Trunks' shoulders. Lindsey pulled it around him. "Get those boxers off." He gave her an incredulous look and she insisted, "I won't look!"

Leelee could feel her face burning as Trunks bent over and the wet clothing hit the floor with a slap. He straightened up and Lindsey, still holding the blanket tight around him, led him to the bed. Once she got him tucked into bed and the rest of the blankets piled over Trunks and Catie, she stood up straight. "Now where the hell is my shirt?" she asked, looking around.

"You left it in the other room," Leelee answered.

Lindsey sighed. "Ah, it's wet anyway." She began to rummage through Jenny's closet and pulled out a T-shirt, throwing it on. "I don't think she'll mind."

"Come on, let's go see what the plan of attack is," Gohan said.

"You two go," Lindsey said. "I'm gonna take their temperatures real quick. I'll meet you in the other room in a minute."

Gohan and Leelee nodded and headed back across the hall.

"They're no use to us if they're sick and too weak to travel," Piccolo was saying.

"Idiots," Vegeta repeated.

"Vegeta, they were trying to get here to help," Goku said.

"We'll have to go without them," Gohan said as he entered the room. "They're in bad shape."

Vegeta growled.

"Leelee? You okay?" Goku asked in a concerned voice.

Leelee had frozen in the doorway, staring straight ahead, her eyes completely blank.

"Leelee?" Seventeen asked, taking a cautious step towards her.

She didn't answer.

In fact, she didn't hear him at all. Leelee's surroundings had faded. She was looking at a wall of stone blocks, a torch lit on the wall. There was a huge rug on the stone floor and a four-poster canopy bed to the left with organza drapes in deep shades of fuchsia. A fireplace was crackling in the corner, casting long shadows throughout the room. A baby was wailing nearby.

"Would you shut that thing up?" a voice hissed.

The old nursemaid stepped out of the shadows, cradling a tiny baby in her arms. "She's a child, not a thing, and an infant at that. What did you expect her to do?"

The shadowy figure behind the drapes hissed. "I expect you to do your job and keep it quiet!"

The plump old woman gave an exasperated eye-roll and smiled at the baby. "'Tis been a long time since I held one as tiny as you." She walked the length of the room, bouncing the baby in her arms and conjuring a bottle from thin air. She caught it in her hand without looking and pressed it to the baby's mouth. The wailing ceased immediately.

"Finally," the figure on the bed hissed again, falling back against the pillows.

"Perhaps you should have waited until you regained your complete strength before attempting such a taxing plan," the nursemaid said, keeping her back to the bed. She was positively glowing at the baby in her arms who drank deeply from the glass bottle.

"There isn't enough time." The voice was raspy and sickly sounding.

The old woman turned, her expression softening towards the figure on the bed. "Shall I fetch the doctor again?"

"That old fool," the figure moaned. "He's useless. Believes all this modern medical mumbo-jumbo the common folk use. No. Send for Sanath."

"The Shaman?"

"Only he can bring me back to my full power," the figure answered, gasping for air. "Those little bitches. Over a year of recovery, and yet here I am, still unable to barely stand."

"I still fail to see how a child will help you," the nurse muttered, bouncing the baby gently in her arms.

"The child is everything," came the answer. "The first hybrid of its kind. Look at her lineage – a human mother who has mastered one of the five legendary elemental powers? And an accomplished Namekian warrior as a father? Everyone knows the healing capabilities of the Nameks." The rasping voice stopped to suck in a breath of air. "You are a fool if you fail to see her potential."

The nursemaid pursed her lips. "You ought to rest. Can't be taking over the world with a bad head-cold, now, can you?"

The figure hissed again.

"Leelee!"

Someone was calling her name from very far away.

"LEELEE!"

Leelee blinked several times, looking around. Seventeen had her by the shoulders, shaking her. She glanced around the room, feeling the eyes of Seventeen, Gohan, Piccolo, Goku and Vegeta staring at her.

"What happened?" Seventeen asked, his face screwed up in concern. "I've never seen you do that before." His eyes flickered rapidly between hers, searching them.

"I know who has Paige," Leelee said quietly.

Piccolo's eyes widened slightly, barely daring to believe it.

"Well, who?" Goku asked eagerly.

Leelee licked her lips and swallowed, her eyes meeting Piccolo's.

"Leelee, tell me who has my daughter," Piccolo said.

"Sigourney."


	5. Old Country Magick

"Leelee, are you sure?" Goku breathed.

"I… I think so," she answered.

"What happened?" Seventeen asked.

"It was like I had a vision," she said, trying to desperately grasp onto the images that had played before her eyes. It felt like waking from a dream that rapidly fades from memory. "I was in a castle. There was someone there who was in bed, I think she was sick. It was Sigourney. And… I saw… I saw Paige."

"Is she okay?" Piccolo demanded.

Leelee nodded in a dreamy sort of way. "Yeah, she looked fine."

He heaved a sigh of relief.

"Well then let's go," Vegeta said. "We've been to that island before."

Lindsey walked in, shaking her head.

"How's Catie and Trunks?" Gohan asked.

"Their temps are way low," she answered. "It's going to take them awhile to warm up and get their heads straight again."

"Wouldn't a hot shower warm them up quicker?" Seventeen suggested.

Lindsey shook her head. "We could cause nerve damage or heart failure if we did that. They have to warm up slowly."

Gohan looked at her in surprise. "How do you know all of this?"

"You try falling through the ice on a pond in the middle of the January deer season," she muttered, "You don't forget something like that."

"We don't have time to wait for them," Piccolo said. "Let's get moving."

"Lindsey, you stay here and watch over everyone," Gohan said.

She gawked at him. "Are you insane?! I'm not going to be left behind!"

"Someone has to watch over them," Gohan said, "and apparently, you're the only one who knows what they're doing."

She started to protest, but Piccolo cut across her. "Lindsey, please. Take care of Jenny for me."

She pressed her lips together, but nodded.

"C'mere," Gohan said, and kissed her.

"Please be careful," Lindsey whispered to him.

"Always."

"Won't you guys catch cold too?" Lindsey asked, looking at them.

"Trunks and Catie flew hundreds of miles in this storm," Goku answered. "We won't be in the rain that long. And we won't use nearly as much energy as they did. We'll be okay."

"What about me?" Leelee asked.

"You're coming with us," Goku answered. "We may need you, especially if you can see inside that castle."

Leelee nodded uncertainly and Seventeen moved to scoop her into his arms.

"What, you can't fly?" Vegeta sneered.

Leelee looked sheepishly at the floor. "No one's taught me yet."

Seventeen looked guilty. "I'll teach you soon."

"We're wasting time here," Piccolo said. "Now let's go!"

* * *

"I don't understand it," Gohan said, standing in the middle of a deserted island, the rain beating against him as he stared in bewilderment. He called out through the storm, "Are you all sure this was the place?"

"You're questioning my memory, Gohan?" Seventeen asked, tapping at his temple.

"No, but there's nothing here!" he shouted back, trying to be heard over the storm.

"How could an entire castle be torn down in a year?" Vegeta demanded.

Goku put a hand to his chin thoughtfully, tipping his head to the side. "Well, if you hit it with a big enough energy blast, it could be-"

"Shut it, Kakarot."

Leelee was staring in disbelief. She knew she'd seen Paige in that castle. She knew it. Was she starting to crack up? She'd led them all on a wild goose chase, going purely off of a hallucination. She was stressed and upset; perhaps in her intense need to help Jenny, she had simply imagined it. She was disappointed and furious with herself.

"Leelee, are you sure that's what you saw?" Piccolo asked loudly as thunder crashed again.

She nodded. "Maybe… maybe I was wrong, though." She screwed up her face, turning away from them. "It was so real, though. So… vivid. I don't understand."

"Maybe you're losing you mind under the pressure," Vegeta stated nastily.

She chewed at the inside corner of her mouth, fighting back tears at his words. She hadn't meant to give them a false lead. And now, here they were, standing on an abandoned island, soaking wet, cold and miserable.

"She was just trying to help," Seventeen shot back.

"Some help," Vegeta snorted.

"I oughta-"

"Ought to what?" Vegeta challenged, turning towards Seventeen. "Come on then, android, if you think you're big enough."

Gohan wasn't paying attention to them as they bickered behind his back. He was staring at the disturbed earth, which was soft and soggy from the continuous rains. But something struck him as odd. There should have been cavernous holes in the ground where the dungeons of the castle sat. He knew – he'd spent more than enough time in there himself. Yet, there was nothing. Fresh piles of earth, now melting in the rain, sat where the dungeons should have been. "It wasn't torn down," he answered. "This was intentional. Someone moved the castle and is trying to cover their tracks."

"Moved it?" Leelee gasped.

"Yeah, I think so," Gohan said, crouching down. "See that? They filled in the pits where the dungeons were. Now a wrecking crew might have done that anyway, but they wouldn't have removed the stone walls for fear of a cave in. They would've left the dungeon walls and simply filled them in. But we can't see any of the walls left, so that means, someone pulled them out, and _then_ filled it."

"So the castle's still whole, it's just somewhere else?" Goku asked in surprise.

Gohan stood again and nodded. "I think so."

Leelee heaved a sigh of relief. Maybe she wasn't crazy after all.

"But how do you move an entire castle?!" Goku cried.

"I dunno, Dad," Gohan answered.

"So we're really no better off than we were before," Piccolo muttered. "We still have no idea where she is."

"Not true, Piccolo," Gohan countered, "We know who has her and we know she's not hurt."

"We _think_ we know that," Piccolo argued.

Gohan drew a long breath through his nose. "Well, I think it's a pretty big coincidence that Leelee had a vision about the castle and we come here to find that it's been moved. Besides – WOULD YOU TWO KNOCK IT OFF?!"

Seventeen and Vegeta froze mid-argument and stared at Gohan. Both of them huffed and turned away from each other.

"Besides," Gohan continued, "it's the best we have to work with."

* * *

_ERRRRRRRR!_

The timer on the dryer buzzed throughout the lookout as Lindsey ran to it. She yanked the door open and pulled the hot towels from inside and kicked the door shut with a bang. She hurried back down the hallway to the bedroom where Catie and Trunks were still shivering under the pile of blankets.

"Here," she said, lifting the blankets and tucking the warm towels next to Catie's skin.

"Ahh," Catie sighed, closing her eyes. "So warm."

Lindsey moved to Trunks' side of the bed and pressed one of the towels against his back.

"Thanks, Lins," he said weakly.

She tsk'd at them. "You all could have died trying to get here the way you did."

"But… Jenny," Catie protested.

Lindsey sighed. "I know. I'm going to check on her. You guys rest."

Jenny was still asleep on the rug in the nursery. Lindsey debated waking her up, but decided against it. Partly because she wanted Jenny to rest and let her body recover from the stress. The other part, well, it was from a selfish place and she knew it – she just didn't want to listen to that awful screaming again.

Moving quietly, Lindsey righted the crib and pushed it back against the wall. She picked up the small mattress, brushed the sheet off, and tucked it back inside the crib. She knelt next to Jenny, gingerly grabbing the pink blanket and sliding it from between Jenny's fingers when Jenny suddenly gripped the blanket and her eyes flew open.

For a split second, everything in Jenny's life was normal. And then her heart sank as the memory of the overturned crib and empty blankets washed over her, a mental bitch-slap that said, "No, that really happened." She squeezed her eyes shut, holding her breath, willing herself to pass back out. She couldn't handle it. Tears poured from her eyes.

"Jenny, don't cry," Lindsey soothed, "Please don't cry."

"I want my baby back," Jenny sobbed miserably. It was the most horrifying thing in the world to her, knowing her baby was gone. She didn't understand it and didn't want to. She wanted to shut down, to just lie on that hard floor forever, and never have to do anything ever again unless it involved her daughter.

Lindsey bit her lip, staring at her friend on the floor. "I didn't mean to wake you," she said softly.

Jenny shook her head and pressed her face into the soft baby blanket, drawing her knees up to her chest. Her body shuddered with sobs as she clutched Paige's blanket. The sheer emptiness of the void Jenny felt made her wonder if she would implode. It was like her insides had turned into a vacuum and at any moment she would just collapse upon herself. It hurt.

"Come on," Lindsey said, tugging at Jenny's arm. "You gotta get up."

Jenny wrenched her arm away. "NO."

"All right," Lindsey sighed. She stood and turned towards the door. "I'm going to make you something to eat. You just… just rest."

She closed the door to the nursery, cringing as Jenny bawled again. She hated this. She hated not being able to fix everything, to not be able to take control and make everything right again. She wandered through the lookout, finally finding the kitchen and began to rummage through the pantry and refrigerator. She found four huge soup pots and put them on the stove, tossing in pounds of Italian sausage, bacon pieces and red pepper, the smell instantly filling the room. She inhaled deeply through her nose, the comforting scent of the Italian food relaxing her nerves.

She didn't know what else to do. It was the way she'd been raised – food was the answer to everything as far as her grandmother was concerned. You ate special meals for celebrations, for funerals, for birthdays, anniversaries, or to comfort stress or sadness. If you got good grades on your report card, you got to pick your favorite meal that night. If you didn't place in the horse show, you got your favorite meal that night, too. The answer was always food.

And Goddess help you if grandma took the time to bake cookies from scratch.

"Red pepper for strength," she muttered to herself, roughly measuring the right amounts by pouring it into her hands and then tossing it into the soup pots. "Sausage for zest. Garlic for protection."

Lindsey's grandmother was a Strega – the Italian word for witch or someone who practices the old ways. Lindsey had always been fascinated by her grandmother's ability to cure anything with a bit of herbs from her garden or her knowledge that unexpected company was about to show up. People from town would drive out to their house in the middle of the night, tapping at the back kitchen door, afraid their neighbors would see them talking to the old woman. They'd ask for cures for sickness, blessings for their home, tea-readings of their future, love spells to make them happy (which never worked out right, just as the old woman would warn.) As a child, she'd clung to her grandmother's every word, despite the fact that her dad would roll his eyes and call the grandmother a superstitious old woman, then drag his children to church on Sunday.

Not knowing what else to do, or how to keep her brain from melting with thoughts of baby Paige, Lindsey threw herself into her cooking, trying to conjure up some of that old magick her grandmother used to work. Maybe that's why grandma always insisted on feeding everybody and how the food always did the trick. Either way, Lindsey figured it couldn't hurt.

She peeled the onions and began to slice them, dumping big chunks into each pot, muttering, "Onions for strengthening and purity…"

* * *

"Did you find the little one?" Mr. Popo asked eagerly as Piccolo and the others returned to the lookout.

"No," Piccolo answered, heading straight for his room to change into dry clothes.

"Oh dear," Mr. Popo said sadly.

"Hey, don't worry Mr. Popo," Goku said kindly. "We're going to find her."

Jenny rushed out into the hall, staring at Piccolo as he walked towards her. "Well?" she asked.

"Nothing yet," he answered quietly.

"But…" her heart sunk. For just a moment, she'd dared to hope that he had returned with their child. Now she felt like a fool. She mentally scolded herself for getting her hopes up. She wanted to scream at Piccolo, to chastise him for not finding their daughter, but she knew it wouldn't solve anything. She fell back against the wall, sliding down it and pressing her forehead to her knees. Her whole body ached from sadness and from sleeping on the hard floor.

"Jenny, you need to eat," Lindsey said, walking down the hallway. "C'mon, I made you some soup."

"I'm not hungry," Jenny muttered, still sniffling.

A determined look crossed Lindsey's face. "You're gonna eat and you're gonna like it. You can't just let your body shut down. We're going to have to face Sigourney soon and you need to keep your strength up."

"SIGOURNEY?!" Jenny shrieked. "That bitch has my baby?!"

Lindsey cringed and looked to Piccolo for help.

"We think so," he answered.

"OH NOOO," Jenny wailed.

"Jenny, c'mon," Lindsey said, bending down and pulling Jenny to her feet. "C'mon. Dammit, stand up."

Jenny finally supported her own weight, sobbing again.

"Jenny, we've beaten Sigourney before," Lindsey said. Jenny bawled louder. "We can beat her again," she had to raise her voice to be heard over Jenny's crying. "Jenny, come on, now…" Lindsey sighed in exasperation. "Forgive me," she said and slapped Jenny across the face.

Jenny jumped and blinked, her hand flying to the bright pink mark on her cheek.

"Now listen to me," Lindsey demanded. "We're all a lot stronger than we were the last time we beat her. It should be a piece of cake this time! We'll find her, we'll beat her, and Paige will be back here before you know it. Okay?"

Jenny nodded and took a deep, calming breath. "Yeah. Okay."

"Sorry I hit you," Lindsey said and her eyes told Jenny she meant it.

"I needed it," Jenny muttered, still rubbing her face.

"Now, go sit at the table, I've got some food for you," Lindsey said. She bent and picked up the laundry basket she'd been carrying. "I have to get Trunks and Catie up. They need some hot food in them."

Dressed and dried, everyone sat at the big, scrubbed kitchen table of the lookout as Lindsey placed steaming bowls of the Italian soup before them.

"Thanks," Trunks said again. He felt horrible, both physically and emotionally. His body was aching and cold, and he felt like an idiot for attempting to fly over the storm with the new hovercar. He'd nearly cost his life and Catie's.

"What kind of soup is it?" Goku asked, picking up a spoon and digging in.

"Zuppa Tuscana," Lindsey answered, finally sitting down herself.

They ate silently for a long while, the Saiyans helping themselves to several bowl-fulls of the hearty, spicy soup. It seared their insides and woke them up.

"This is really good," Gohan complimented his wife between bites. She beamed.

Jenny nodded her agreement, but didn't much feel like eating. She didn't like the way the spices seared her throat, bringing her harshly into reality. You were supposed to eat chocolate when you were sad. Chocolate soothes you and sugar-coats your emotions. It doesn't shock you and burn your insides, waking you up the way this soup did.

"Now that's real food," Catie mumbled appreciatively, reaching for a second helping. Italian-raised herself, she understood why Lindsey's answer had been food.

"Now," Piccolo said, pushing his bowl away. "How do we go about finding Sigourney's castle?"

Goku swallowed a huge hunk of soup-soaked breadstick. "I don't know. You'd think we could feel their power levels."

"Sigourney's ill," Vegeta said. "Remember the premonition? She can't even stand right now. With all the panic on earth from the storms and the flood, there's no way to search out her power level."

"Is she the one causing the storms, ya think?" Gohan asked, reaching for a fifth bowl of soup.

"It wouldn't surprise me," Vegeta answered. "Or to be more accurate, someone who works for her."

"Damn," Lindsey muttered. "It's so ingenious."

Gohan paused to look at her. "Don't say that. You sound like Vegeta," he muttered to her.

Piccolo nodded. "If she somehow manipulated the weather to incite chaos, it would mask what little energy she's emitting. Stop and think for a minute – can you pick out anyone's energy?"

The table fell silent once again as they all concentrated. Catie was surprised at the nervous, anxious feeling that washed over her as though she was feeling the emotions of millions of people at once. Her eyes met Lindsey's and they both nodded.

"That's crazy," Leelee breathed. "I don't like it at all." She shivered, cutting herself off from the energy.

"I can sense a few certain people," Gohan said. "I can feel Krillin. And Tien."

"Yamcha," Trunks added.

"But that's only because they're incredibly strong compared to most earthlings," Piccolo said. "Try to find someone you know with a normal energy level."

None of them could do it. It was far too jumbled, too chaotic, to single out just one person.

"What a mess," Catie said softly in a strained voice, trying to hold back a cough. She was unsuccessful and began to choke and hack, covering her mouth with one hand.

"You two really shouldn't have flown here like that," Goku said innocently.

Trunks narrowed his eyes, "It wasn't by choice."

"So how do we find my baby?" Jenny asked sadly, tears burning at the corners of her eyes again.

"Well," Lindsey said, standing and gathering empty bowls from the table. "We'll just have to do it the old fashioned way. With our eyes."


	6. Sanath

Once Trunks and Catie were forced back into bed, the others began organizing themselves into looking for Paige. They stood under one of the awnings of the lookout, staring out at the pouring rain.

"I think we should divide into pairs to look," Goku said. "None of us should go alone in this storm."

"What's the matter, Kakarot? Afraid of a little rain?" Vegeta sneered.

"No," Goku protested.

"Goku's right," Piccolo said. "It's bad out there and it's only getting worse. But we can't just stand around and wait for it to let up."

"Come on, Leelee," Seventeen said, "Let's get going."

"But, I still can't fly," she mumbled.

"Well, no time to learn like the present," Vegeta smirked.

She barely had time to register his words before his energy blast caught her full in the chest, throwing her backwards across the lookout and toppling over the side.

"LEELEE!" Seventeen shouted. He rounded on Vegeta. "You're a dick," he spat before running out into the rain and diving over the edge himself.

Leelee screamed as she flipped end over end through the air, plummeting towards the earth. Strong gales of wind and rain tossed her about like a fallen leaf. Her mind was racing, her eyes focusing on nothing – it was all a swirl of dark gray, the rain stinging her face and the air roaring in her ears. The wet wind was so cold… WIND. Acting purely on instinct, Leelee powered up, her own rush of wind slowing her fall and suspending her in the air. She hovered there for a few moments, the steady stream of wind issuing from her body holding her stationary as she pressed back against the gusts of the storm. Perhaps it wasn't the way the Z-Fighters used their energy to fly, but she wasn't falling to her death and that worked for her.

"Ha ha!" she smirked. She glanced around, considering her surroundings. The air immediately around her felt still and dry – her own wind keeping the storm at bay. "This'll work." Concentrating, she rose higher into the air, ascending back towards the lookout.

"Leelee!" Seventeen gasped as he met her in mid-flight. "How are you… What are you… Are you okay?!"

She nodded with a smile. "Never better. Now, let's go look for Paige."

Seventeen gave a nod and without returning to the lookout, they flew towards the south, dropping closer to the earth to look for any sign of Sigourney's castle.

* * *

"I swear to God, I will kill you!" Lindsey screamed as her hair ignited, stomping across the lookout towards Vegeta. "If Seventeen doesn't catch her in time…" One of the fire whips appeared in her hand.

"You better step back before you get hurt," Vegeta warned.

"I'm not afraid of you!" she screamed, bringing her arm up, preparing to lash Vegeta with the whip.

Goku grabbed her wrist. "Stop. Leelee's okay."

Lindsey stared at Goku in angry disbelief.

"Can't you sense her energy? She's fine."

Lindsey concentrated for a second and realized his words were true. She powered down, fixing Vegeta with a loathsome stare. "You're lucky."

Vegeta snorted. "You're the one who's lucky. Kakarot just stopped you from making a very foolish mistake."

"We don't have time for this," Piccolo said. "Goku, you come with me. Gohan, you and Vegeta head north."

"Right," Gohan nodded.

"What about me?" Lindsey asked.

"You stay and take care of everyone here," Piccolo answered.

She huffed and crossed her arms to pout.

"Lindsey, c'mere, I want to talk to you," Goku said. She followed him back inside the lookout and was surprised at the stern expression on his face. "Don't ever try to attack Vegeta again."

"What?" she asked. "Why?"

"You can't fight him," Goku answered. "And he won't exercise any self-restraint with you."

"I spar with you all the time and you're more powerful than he is," Lindsey stated.

"Spar. Not fight. There's a difference."

Disappointment filled Lindsey's chest as she realized the obvious. "You've been holding back on me."

"Just a little," Goku said with a slightly guilty smile.

"Liar," she muttered, looking at the floor.

"You're a good fighter, Lindsey," Goku told her, "but you have to pick your battles. We had plenty of time to get to Leelee before she got hurt. You have to slow down and think a bit before you react."

She nodded, still staring at the floor.

"All right. Now don't get all bummed out, consider it a lesson."

"'Kay," she answered, turning to leave.

"Good girl."

"Three hours at the most," Gohan was saying as Lindsey and Goku returned. "We can't be getting sick like Catie and Trunks. We meet back here after that and regroup. See where we can go from there."

Piccolo nodded in agreement.

"Alright, then," Goku said. "Let's go."

* * *

After cleaning up the dishes and checking on Catie and Trunks once more, Lindsey sat on the steps under one of the awnings, staring out at the rain. This was becoming depressing. She liked storms, but this one was lasting too long. She sighed. Damn that Sigourney.

"Hey," came a soft voice.

Lindsey turned and looked up at Jenny, who was holding a large quilt in her hands.

"Hey," Lindsey answered.

Jenny sat down beside Lindsey and leaned against her. Lindsey threw the quilt around the both of them and pulled Jenny closer to her side.

"Did everybody leave?" Jenny asked with a sniffle.

Lindsey nodded. "Yeah." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cigarettes and lit one. "Ciggy?" she asked Jenny.

Jenny wrinkled her nose, but then sighed. "What the hell." The smoke tasted terrible and burned her throat, but a slightly relaxing feel crept into the back of her brain and she leaned against Lindsey again. "Don't tell Piccolo."

Lindsey slid her lighter back into the pack, the cigarette dangling from her lips. "Don't tell Gohan." She put her pack in her pocket again, then took a proper drag. "Just don't get hooked like I did."

Jenny nodded. "Tastes like shit anyway." She awkwardly tried to flick the ash from the end of the cigarette.

"I'm still trying to quit," Lindsey mumbled.

"Doin' a good job there," Jenny snickered.

There was a brief moment of relief, hearing Jenny crack a joke. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," Lindsey answered.

"Do you think we'll find my baby?" Jenny asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper. She rubbed at her bloodshot eyes and tried not to tear up again.

"Of course we will," Lindsey answered softly.

Jenny nodded and laid her face against Lindsey's shoulder. "I hope you're right."

* * *

"You sent for me, m'lady?"

"Sanath," Sigourney gasped from her bed, turning her head to look at the Shaman. "I require your assistance."

Sanath considered Sigourney for a moment. She was deathly pale and thin, her normally thick waves of rose-colored hair were limp and ratty. Her breath came in rattling gasps. "What need have you of me, m'lady?" he asked.

"It would seem… that our good doctor… has abandoned the old ways…" she answered. "You have long been regarded… as a great magician… and healer…"

"I am not at my full strength," he said. "It takes a great deal of energy to conjure these storms. I do not know if I have the power to heal you."

Sigourney's magenta eyes flashed. "Then do what you must to get that energy."

"It will take a long time," he answered. "Time I fear we do not have."

"What… do you mean?"

"The child's parents are searching for her. They are mistaken, thinking we are on Earth, but I'm afraid they may figure it out soon."

"You must… stop them."

Sanath shook his head, his normally bright orange eyes now the dull color of rust. "I do not have the energy to increase the storms, much less the energy to heal you too. The spell to restore you to full health is an intricate and complicated bit of magick. If I am not at one-hundred percent, if the spell is not performed to perfection, it could have disastrous complications."

"Just do it, Sanath."

Sanath gritted his teeth, but held his tongue and smiled. "As you wish, m'lady," he nodded and bowed out of the room.

Once outside Sigourney's bedchamber, Sanath leaned against the door and ran a hand though his long, greenish-black hair. She didn't understand the toll these storms took on him. If only Kadar hadn't been off on some far-distant planet, perhaps he could have talked some sense into their new queen. Sanath sighed, knowing that Kadar's mission was vital to their cause. Without the Book of Shadow & Prophecy, maintaining their hold on this world would be nearly impossible. No, Kadar's crusade was far too important.

Sanath set off down the long corridor, so deep in thought that he didn't pay much attention to where his feet were leading him. It was all so complicated, so risky. So much was riding on nothing but a book and a small child. He had advised Sigourney to wait until the child was older, at least ten or twelve, but the queen feared that by that point, the girl would be too far set in the ways of her parents. Raising the child herself would ensure that Sigourney was able to teach her the old ways, to make her sympathetic to the cause. Sanath had to admit, Sigourney's vision and plans were far more ambitious than Kamahina.

Kamahina's plans had been selfish. She sought immortality and revenge, nothing more. Her only thoughts were to rule the planet, even the entire universe, enslaving its people. Sigourney's plans were far more beneficial to the people, if only they could see it. She dreamed of a world were they were not forced into hiding, but where everyone would embrace their ways. Sanath had to admit, he shared her vision and dreams. He was tired of living in the shadows. But the common folk had shunned the old ways a long time ago, driving those who still clung to the path of the ancients into hiding. He longed for the days where his talents were still appreciated, where people worked in connection with the ancient energies, a world without technology and modern "comforts." Comfort. Hmph. Locking themselves away in their homes to stare at electronic screens all day. The idea was utterly ridiculous to him. They called it convenient. He failed to see what was convenient about researching the weather on a screen when all it took was a simple step outside the door. Convenient to sit and type out messages on a little box, but unable to speak to another being face to face. Preposterous. But Sigourney would change all that, by bringing the old ways back to the people. In retrospect, he was rather pleased that Kamahina had fallen at the hand of the Saiyans.

And that fool Radmis, he'd nearly ruined everything, although his actions didn't matter much now that they had the Namekian hybrid. Like his sister, he was driven by hatred and revenge, unable to see beyond his own emotions and bloodlust. Without thought or care for the Shadow People, he'd tried to destroy the young women with the Elemental Powers and their Saiyan counterparts. After centuries of waiting for the five powers to surface at the same time, he set out on a renegade mission to destroy them. The man had absolutely no vision and no respect. He should have known he was no match for them, not with the Saiyans on their side.

The Saiyans. Now they were what really made Sanath worry. He'd seen their battles with Frieza, with Cell… They were intense. They were fierce. And they were the only thing that truly concerned Sigourney and himself. Kadar believed them irrelevant, but Sanath wasn't so sure. In a true battle of ancient magick versus pure raw power, there was no telling who would win. If it came to that. He prayed it would not come to that. He hoped the storms continued to distract them and wear down their spirits, the chaos radiating from the earth keeping the Saiyans busy.

Sanath didn't stop walking until he reached the library. The ancient texts in their leather-bound covers welcomed him with the subtle smells of old parchment. He trailed his fingers along the worn spines, the soft leather familiar and calming. He knew how to conduct the power raising; he'd done it many times before. He was procrastinating. Taking the time to reread the text, to go over it in his head, gave him time to steel his nerves, to gather a bit of energy for himself to put up the protective barrier between himself and some of Sigourney's other… subjects. He knew and appreciated their talents, but found them to be exhausting to deal with at even the best of times. And he knew why. They drew too much of the ancient powers for themselves because the powers were no longer disbursed throughout the world like they were in the old days. It made them powerful assets to the cause, but it also made them taxing to be around.

Sanath pulled a small, red book from the shelf and cracked the cover open, thumbing to the page that laid out the ritual for the power raising. Sighing deeply, he sunk to the floor, leaning his elbows on the hard muscles of his thighs, and began to read.

* * *

Author's note: I am aware that magic isn't usually spelled with a K. That was intentional on my part, as magick is often used when writing about energies and old beliefs, as opposed to magic, which usually refers to staged performances.


	7. A Little Bump'n'Grind

Tensions were running high as the hours of searching for Paige turned into days. There was a constant coming and going at the Lookout as they returned to dry off, eat, report where they'd searched, then pair up with someone new and set off again in their relentless pursuit of the infant. Not knowing whether it was day or night was maddening. And it didn't help matters that the Lookout had become so crowded. Tien, Yamcha, Krillin and Eighteen had come to join in the search. Bulma had taken little Trunks to stay with Chichi at Mount Pazou to avoid the flooding. Master Roshi and Oolong had originally gone to stay at Goku's home as well, due to the fact that their island was completely submerged under water, but Chichi was only able to tolerate a couple days of their "bad influence" on Goten and threw them out in the storm, sending them to the Lookout instead.

"You keep that lecherous old man away from me," Leelee hissed at Goku when he'd gone to retrieve them.

Tempers were flaring as fatigue and stress set in. Seventeen had taken to calling everyone dirty names under his breath, Jenny and Leelee weren't speaking to each other, Gohan had gotten mad enough to pick a fight with Vegeta, Lindsey was running around managing piles of laundry, dishes and cooking, Piccolo had given serious consideration to giving up water and switching to wine, and Trunks and Catie had broken up no less than six times.

"How did I end up being house _bitch?!_" Lindsey shrieked as Goku and Vegeta tossed sopping wet clothes at her, heading to change into something dry.

"Well it's about all you're good for," Vegeta growled.

"Excuse me?!" she shrieked.

"I don't see you out in this mess!"

Her face burned as red as her hair. Goku was backing down the hallway, one hand holding a towel firmly around his waist, the other pressed against the wall to find his way. "Then why don't you do it?"

Vegeta snorted. "The Prince of Saiyans does not do women's work."

"WOMEN'S WORK?!" Lindsey screamed. "Do your own goddamned laundry from now on, you chauvinistic pig!" She hurled his dripping wet shirt back at his head where it wrapped around his face with a slap. Sticking her nose in the air, she hitched up her skirt and stomped out of the laundry room.

Vegeta peeled the shirt from his face, his shoulders shaking in anger as he watched her go.

Goku didn't know whether to laugh or run.

* * *

Lindsey didn't stop until she hit the kitchen where Jenny and Piccolo were arguing.

"I do not have to talk to her!" Jenny protested.

"Jenny, you're being irrational," Piccolo sighed.

"I am NOT!"

"So you're just going to throw away your friendship with Leelee, just because-"

"Because she's a whore? YEAH! I AM!"

Piccolo frowned. "That's not what I was going to say."

Jenny slammed a bowl in the sink, shattering it. "Our baby is missing and all she's doing is fucking her boyfriend while everyone else is out searching day in and day out?"

Lindsey yanked open the refrigerator and stuck her head inside, pretending to be searching for food.

"You can't blame them," Piccolo muttered. "We all have to have something to keep us sane right now."

"It's bullshit!" Jenny retorted. "Everyone else is fucking in my home, but I don't see me getting any!"

There was a bang from the refrigerator and Lindsey whimpered.

"Jenny, not now," Piccolo warned quietly.

"Not now, not now," she went on hysterically. "Same old tune with you, isn't it Piccolo? Wouldn't touch me when I was pregnant, now we're all too stressed and… and sad…" she began to cry again.

"Jenny," he said softly, reaching for her.

"Just go," she whispered and leaned against the sink, burying her face in her hands.

He watched her for a minute, then left the kitchen, preparing to head back out into the storm.

Lindsey stood and slowly closed the door to the refrigerator. "You okay, honey?"

Jenny shook her head. "I'm sick of being caged up here," she whispered. "I want to go look for my baby. But Piccolo doesn't want me out in the storm. He thinks I'm too 'emotional' right now."

"I hear that," Lindsey muttered.

Jenny threw her a filthy look.

"I meant they don't let me go out either," Lindsey said hurriedly. "They keep piling up laundry and dishes and everybody thinks they have to eat every day…"

Jenny snickered and looked over her shoulder at her friend. "Any particular reason you've got a carrot in your hand?"

Lindsey looked down at it in surprise. "Um… it was my cover for eaves dropping on you?" Jenny rolled her eyes. "Although, I can think of a much better place to stick this than in the fridge."

"And where would that be?" Jenny asked, beginning to pick the pieces of broken stoneware out of the sink.

"Sideways up Vegeta's-"

"LINDSEY!"

"ASS!" Lindsey yelled back. She viciously chomped the end of the carrot off, then looked at it again. "I really don' wike carroths," she lisped as she chewed.

"I gotta get outta here," Jenny muttered, shaking her head.

"You wanna go?"

"Huh?"

Lindsey spat the carrot into a garbage can. "Let's go look for Paige."

Jenny wheeled around. "What?"

"They can't stop us, they've all either headed out again already or they're sleeping," Lindsey said. "C'mon, fuck it. We can handle it."

Determination set in Jenny's eyes and she nodded. "Let's go." She dropped the bowl fragments back in the sink and Lindsey tossed the bitten carrot on the table. Linking arms, they marched out of the kitchen, down the hallway, and out into the storm.

* * *

"You okay, Piccolo?" Goku asked as they sat around the kitchen table a couple hours later, resting and trying to warm up again.

Piccolo nodded.

"Are ya sure? Cause you seem even more down than you have been," Goku pressed.

Piccolo didn't know what to do. He'd lost his daughter, and now he felt like he was losing Jenny. It was like a wedge had been driven between them and it was growing with every passing hour. He needed to do something, quick, before he lost her completely. He really wasn't comfortable discussing it with anyone, though.

"You and Jenny having problems?" Trunks asked, "I mean, besides the obvious."

Piccolo nodded again.

"Well, talk to us Piccolo," Gohan said, leaning forward on the table. "We're your friends. You can tell us anything."

Piccolo sighed. "I just feel like we're not as close as we used to be. She's pulling away from me. And I don't know how to stop it."

"Well, you're both under a lot of stress right now," Tien said. "You just gotta work through it."

"It's been this way since before Paige was kidnapped."

Tien blinked. "Oh."

Piccolo swallowed, getting more uncomfortable by the minute, but he really needed some advice. Before Jenny came into his life, he'd been perfectly happy to live on his own, to never bother with anything romantic or emotional. But she'd changed all that. And now that it was slipping away, he was starting to panic. He'd never pictured having someone special in his life; now he couldn't imagine his life without her.

"We haven't… haven't been…" God, he couldn't say it out loud. Not to them. "Been close… in a long time."

There was a silence for a minute as the other men rolled Piccolo's words around in their heads, trying to figure out exactly what he meant.

"Oh my God," Vegeta suddenly growled, getting to his feet. "I am NOT going to sit around here and discuss the Namek's sex life!" And with that, he stomped out of the room.

Piccolo went red in the face.

"Hey, it's an important part of a relationship," Goku said. "No need to be embarrassed, Piccolo."

"If you're looking for bedroom advice, ask Mr. Newlywed here," Krillin teased, elbowing Gohan in the side.

"Krillin!" Gohan snapped, going quite red himself as Trunks laughed.

"This was a mistake," Piccolo muttered, getting to his feet. "Forget I said anything."

"No, now sit down," Yamcha said, grabbing Piccolo by the elbow and yanking him back into the chair. "Now I may not be much of a fighter anymore, but I know women."

"That's why you're still single, is it?" Tien asked.

Yamcha jumped as Goku and Krillin snickered.

"Don't listen to him," Yamcha said, turning his attention back to Piccolo. "How long has it been since, you know…"

Piccolo rubbed at his forehead, regretting this terribly. "Months."

"Oh, you're in trouble, bud."

"You're not helping!" Piccolo snapped.

"Okay, okay, we'll help ya out," Yamcha said, putting his hand to his chin in thought.

They could see the wheels turning in Yamcha's mind. He sat there for a full five minutes before he snapped his fingers. "Got it," he grinned. "You just have to woo her."

Piccolo raised an eyebrow. "Woo her?"

"Yeah, you know, go all out," Yamcha said, "A little gesture isn't going to fix this. You have to do it right. Flowers, candles, wine, music. The whole shebang. " He snorted and squeezed his eyes shut, "No bad pun intended."

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about," Piccolo admitted.

"You're just not going to make this easy, are you?" Yamcha sighed. "All right. This is what you do…"

* * *

"Okay, are ya dry?" Lindsey asked, slicking her hair up into a ponytail.

Jenny nodded and buttoned the dry pair of jeans she'd pulled on. "We were downstairs. Right?"

"And we got lost," Lindsey added.

"And we're terribly sorry if we messed up anyone's plans," Jenny recited. "Okay, let's go."

Quietly, they slipped from the bathroom, looking up and down the hallway, Jenny heading towards her bedroom and Lindsey for the patio awning. They'd been unsuccessful in finding Paige, but they both felt better knowing they'd finally made an attempt.

Gohan was waiting for Lindsey as she stepped outside.

"There you are! I was worried!" he gasped, throwing his arms around her.

"Sorry!" she apologized. "Jenny and I got to wandering around downstairs. This place is like a labyrinth."

Gohan chuckled. "Yeah, that's easy to do. Just stick to the top level from now, okay?"

She nodded.

"C'mon, we've gotta go look for Paige again."

Lindsey blinked. "You're… taking me with you?"

"Well, yeah," Gohan said. "Unless you don't want to go?"

"Of course I do," Lindsey insisted. "But you haven't taken me before!"

"Haven't you gone with the other girls?"

"No!" Lindsey cried. "I've been here playing Holly Housewife to everyone! Cooking, dishes, laundry, cleaning…"

"I'm sorry, babe. I didn't realize."

She waved him off, not wanting to miss another opportunity to search for Paige. "No big deal. Let's go."

* * *

Jenny slipped into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She heaved a sigh of relief.

"I've been waiting for you."

Jenny jumped and spun around. Her eyes went wide when she saw Piccolo. He was lounging in a black silk robe on the bed, which was covered with tons of rose petals. The only light in the room came from a hundred pillar candles set on the furniture, on the floor, and dangerously close to the drapes. A bottle of wine and two glasses were perched on the bedside table.

"What… what are you doing?" Jenny giggled.

Piccolo got to his feet and crossed the room to her. "Something I should've been doing for a long time."

He clicked the small remote in his hand and let it drop to the floor. Loud music filled the room.

"Oh my god," Jenny breathed, her eyes wide. "R. Kelly music? Really?!"

"You like it?" He asked, a small smile pulling at his lips.

She nodded, trying not to laugh at the memory of her and Catie at Capsule Corp, singing passionately into hairbrushes to the Bump'n'Grind song. "It's… um…"

Piccolo wrapped an arm around Jenny's waist, pulling her closer, swaying her to the music.

"Ohhhh my," she giggled again.

He stopped. "This isn't working for you, is it?"

She shook her head, still laughing. "No."

He sighed and shook his head. "Okay. I give up." He released his hold on her waist, turning away from her.

"N-n-no!" she said, pulling him back to her. "You're trying. That's what matters."

He stared at her for a long moment, then brushed some of the loose strands of hair from her face and pressed his lips to hers. She slowly melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. She didn't know why she suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to be with him; they should be out looking for Paige, the others were searching for her right now, and here she was, doing the exact same thing she'd gotten mad at Leelee for. But she couldn't help it. She felt so alone; she needed this. She needed him.

He pulled the clip from her hair, letting the long strands fall down her back. He tangled his fingers in it, pulling her deeper into the kiss. She pulled the robe from his shoulders, planting hard kisses along his neck. He drew a deep breath as he felt his heart beginning to race, his blood rushing through his system, his nerves awakening to every tiny sensation. He pushed all thought and concern of the dire situation they were in from his mind – right now he needed to focus on Jenny, to remind her how much he loved her. And he needed her reassurance that she still loved him. He ran his hands up her sides, pulling her shirt up and slipping it over her head.

Jenny smiled against the kiss as Piccolo's rough hands trailed up her back and fumbled with the clasp on her bra. Without pulling away from him, she unhooked it for him and slid the straps from her shoulders. He wrapped his arms tighter around her back, pulling her body to his, her warm, soft curves pressing against his chest. He dropped to his knees and nuzzled his face into her chest, kissing his way up to her throat and across her shoulder. His hands slid over her breasts, marveling at how incredibly soft her skin was. He inhaled deeply as he brought his mouth to cover the sensitive flesh, drinking in the intoxicating scent of her perfume. She gasped harshly as he captured her in his mouth, lovingly teasing her with his tongue, sliding her jeans from her hips.

Butterflies erupted in Jenny's stomach as Piccolo wrapped his arms around her bare waist and lifted her with him as he stood, still kissing and licking at her chest. Her carried her across the room and sat on the side of the bed, pulling her smoothly down over his hard length. She threw her head back and moaned as he filled her so suddenly. He growled against the dip between her breasts, panting as she raised her hips and brought them back down, taking him deeper within her. A calm victory washed over Piccolo. Her curves in his hands, her tight warmth enveloping him, her hair in his face – he suddenly realized how much he'd missed this. He slowly laid back across the bed, admiring her body and the dramatic shadows and shapes the light from the candles created upon it.

The music changed and Jenny paused for a moment. "Niiiice," she purred, grinding her hips in time with the erotic music.

_I lose all control_

_When you grab a hold_

_And you do your trick_

_I love it_

_When you_

_Lick._

Piccolo wasn't expecting that. He felt himself grow even harder as he watched her roll her hips, running her hands over her body, twirling her head and swinging her long, silky brown tresses. He grabbed at her thighs, gripping them and raising his hips to meet hers.

A small smirk pulled at Jenny's lips as she watched Piccolo writhe under her. She wiggled her hips lower and lower on him, arching back and rolling her spine forward, gyrating sensuously to the music. There was a confidence bubbling to the surface, one that hadn't been there for quite some time. She slowly leaned over him, bringing her face close to his, barely singing the next line of the song to him.

_You got lock and key_

_Every part of me_

_Know what makes me tick_

_I love it_

_When you_

_Lick._

She playfully licked at his mouth, then sat back up, grinning.

"You are so beautiful," he groaned, staring up at her with heavy eyes.

She ground harder on him, taking his considerable length fully into her, moaning low in her throat. She threw her arms behind her head, pulling at her own hair, biting her lower lip.

Piccolo didn't know how much longer he could hold it back. Her hot body clutched at his, so wet and tight, driving him into ecstasy. He could feel it building, swelling within him. It took everything he had to hold himself back.

* * *

Impossibly tall high heels clicked across the wet tiles of the Lookout. A petite figure moved quickly through the pouring rain, heaving a sigh of relief once the awning was reached. Keen eyes roamed over the place, looking for a sign of life anywhere. There was no one in sight.

"Where are they?" the figure hissed, cautiously slipping into the shadowed hallway. There was someone there; she could feel two distinct energies growing stronger somewhere within the depths of the Lookout. Slicking the rain from her arms, she quietly snuck down the hallway, trying to figure out who was there and why they were the only two presences she could sense.

* * *

Jenny's cries were becoming louder and shorter as Piccolo drove harder into her body, his own moans mimicking hers. She leaned back farther, feeling him hit a particularly sensitive spot deep within her. She screamed in pleasure. Feeling her convulse on him, Piccolo let go, growling deep in his throat as he emptied his body into hers, his nerves singing in sweet relief.

* * *

Recognizing the energy from the girl in the room, the figure closed her slender fingers on the doorknob, throwing the door open with a bang. "Hey, Jen-" she froze in horror at the sight of her friend completely naked, sitting astride the tall Namek.

Jenny jumped and turned at the sudden intrusion. "SABRIENA!" she screamed, clutching her arms to her chest, scrambling off of Piccolo and tangling her legs in the sheets.

"I'm sorry!" Sabriena cried, clapping her hands over her eyes and turning her back to the room.

"Get… AGH!" Jenny screamed as she fell, falling hard against the nightstand and knocking the forgotten bottle of wine to the floor where it rolled and hit the pillar candles. It was like a domino affect – once the first candle fell, it was hard to stop the rest.

Forgetting his modesty, Piccolo jumped from the bed and knelt next to Jenny. "Are you okay?"

She nodded and looked at her forearm, which was bleeding freely. "Oh, shit! The curtains!" she cried as flames lapped hungrily at the drapes.

"Forget the stupid curtains, you're hurt!" Piccolo growled.

Jenny stood and in an instant her brown locks had turned an oceany blue, swirling around her face and shoulders, her eyes deep churning pools of blue-gray. With a shout, she threw her palm straight out before her, a jet of water streaming from her hand and extinguishing the flames and candles within the room.

_I'll put my heels on for ya baby_

_The ones that wrap around my legs_

_Your perfect touch excites me_

_And dammit I ain't too proud to beg_

Jenny strode across the darkened room and clicked off the raunchy music. Pulling open the dresser, she pulled out a pair of dark purple pants and handed them to Piccolo before grabbing one of his shirts and throwing it over herself.

"You can turn around now," Jenny said in a dry voice.

"Jenny," Sabriena gasped, her eyes apologetic. "If I knew… I wouldn't have… oh my god, I'm soooo sorry."

Jenny huffed and clicked on the overhead light, staring around at her ruined bedroom. Candle wax covered the scorched wet carpet; the curtains hung smoking from their rods. Crushed rose petals had been knocked about, leaving tiny pink stains on the comforter. There was a big smear of blood on the bedside table where Jenny's arm had smashed one of the wine glasses. She looked at her arm and realized she was dripping blood on the carpet.

"Shit," she whispered.

"Are you okay?" Sabriena whimpered, staring in concern at Jenny's arm.

"'M fine," Jenny muttered. "I gotta clean up my arm. I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Sabriena nodded and hurried away from the bedroom, feeling embarrassed, guilty and disgusted. She _never_ wanted to see Piccolo naked again.

Jenny discovered that the cut wasn't nearly as bad as it looked and she was easily able to patch herself up with a couple butterfly strips. She covered those with a bit of gauze and tape for good measure, then washed her hands in the sink and returned to the bedroom.

"Of all times for her to show up," Piccolo growled, now fully dressed again. He had his arms crossed and was staring at the ruined bedroom.

"Piccolo, I'm so sorry," Jenny muttered, joining him at his side. He had tried so hard, cliché as it was, and seeing the destroyed bedroom broke her heart.

He shrugged.

She turned to look at him. "You were amazing, though," she purred, placing her hands on his elbow and rising into the air to kiss his cheek.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Did you… I mean, did I make you-"

"AH-MAY-ZING," she moaned, closing her eyes as if reliving the moment again. "Thank you."

He gave a small smile as she lowered back to the floor.

* * *

Still wearing nothing but Piccolo's shirt, Jenny hurried towards the kitchen, worry filling her mind once more. They'd tried to contact Sabriena, but had been unsuccessful in getting through to her. In fact, they couldn't get a hold of anyone in the US. If Sabriena had come here without knowing about Paige missing, then that meant something else was happening.

"Hey," Jenny said as she entered the kitchen.

Sabriena looked up at her. "Hey."

"Sorry you saw that," Jenny muttered. She sat down across the table from her friend, surprised at the sad look in Sabriena's eyes. Upon closer inspection, Sabriena looked like hell. Her normally perfectly straight dark blonde hair hung in ratty curls to her shoulders, there were stains on her gold cocktail dress, and an ugly green-tinged bruise on her left cheekbone. "Sabriena, what happened?"

Sabriena fixed Jenny with a flat stare. "You tell me. Every time something bad happens, it revolves around your all's boyfriends."

Jenny started to protest, but then snapped her mouth shut. They ALL had a penchant for getting into trouble, including Sabriena herself. But Jenny thought it best to not bring that up at the moment, considering Sabriena looked on the verge of tears. In the few years she'd known Sabriena, Jenny couldn't recall ever seeing the girl cry.

"I don't know what's going on with the storm," Jenny answered. "But we think it's a diversion. Sigourney kidnapped Paige."

"SIGOURNEY?!" Sabriena shrieked. "She's the one behind all this?"

Jenny nodded solemnly.

"I'll kill a bitch," Sabriena growled, crossing her arms and legs simultaneously and leaning back in her chair. "What the hell does she want with Paige anyway?"

Jenny shrugged and shook her head. "I have no idea." She explained about Leelee's vision of Sigourney and Paige, and how Gohan felt certain that Leelee was right after they discovered that the castle was gone.

"So why are you here?" Jenny asked, crossing her own arms.

Sabriena seemed to deflate before Jenny's eyes. "I came to tell you, and Lindsey too…" she paused to bite her lip, her eyes welling with tears.

"Sabriena, what is it?" Jenny asked softly.

"The warehouse is gone."

"WHAT?!" Jenny shrieked. "What do you mean the warehouse is gone?!"

Sabriena took a shuddering breath and looked at her hands. "The storm created a tornado. I was at my dad's when the sirens went off. He and I hid in the basement. When the sirens stopped, I went to check on everyone. The whole place is flattened."

"No," Jenny whispered, feeling her head swim as Piccolo walked in.

"Is everyone okay?" Piccolo asked. He'd heard their conversation from his room. Although he held no emotions for the outlaw group Anarchy 99, he knew that they were important to Jenny.

Sabriena swallowed hard and shook her head. "Viktor's dead. Sophie, Kip, even Kolya – they're all dead."

"Kolya's dead?" Jenny squeaked, choking back a sob.

Sabriena nodded, the tears she'd been fighting began to roll down her cheeks as the memory flooded her vision. She'd scrambled across brick and splintered wood, screaming the names of her friends, digging frantically through the rubble. Nothing could erase the memory of Kolya's sightless blue eyes staring up at the clouded sky, the feel of Sophie's cold, dead hand in her own as she pulled the body from beneath an overturned bed frame, the sound of the death rattle as she found... "I found Tumbler under the debris. I… I held him as he…" a sob escaped her throat, "he died. I couldn't help him, Jenny! I was right there and there was nothing I could do!"

Jenny rubbed at her eyes. "Fuck," she sniffled.

"I found Yelena," Sabriena went on, wiping the tears from her cheeks and fixing the corner of the room with a far-away stare. "I was able to get a tourniquet on her leg. Well, what was left of it. Got her to the hospital. She should be okay."

"What about Yorgi?" Jenny asked breathlessly. She didn't dare to hope that he had survived.

Sabriena shook her head. "I couldn't find him. I couldn't find X either. Kirill's okay. He was in the armory when it happened. That was about the only part of the building left standing."

Jenny heaved a sigh. At least there was a glimmer of hope for Yorgi and X. She thought back to the heavily fortified ground-level room of the warehouse where the firearms and ammunitions were kept. It was, essentially, a giant safe. It would have provided the best cover for such a storm and it only made sense that Kirill would be there. He was always in there.

"I was hoping Dende could bring them back," Sabriena said, rubbing at her nose. "You know, the way he revived me after I died when Kamahina took us."

"Dende's not here," Piccolo said. "And technically, it was the dragon who revived you, not him."

"Wait," Jenny whispered. "If Dende's not here, then…"

Piccolo's eyes went wide. "We don't even have the dragonballs."

"So there's no hope?" Sabriena asked desperately. "We won't be able to bring any of them back?"

"Not until Dende returns to Earth," Piccolo answered. "And even then, it will take some time before the dragonballs can be used."

Sabriena collapsed into a fit of strained sobs.

Jenny pressed her lips to a thin line, trying not to cry. She wasn't used to Sabriena being so emotional. She moved to Sabriena's side of the table and pulled her close. Sabriena sniffled, trying hard to control herself.

"Shh," Jenny soothed. "We'll figure something out."

"I loved him," Sabriena said in a whisper so haunting it sent chills up Piccolo's spine.

Jenny nodded.

"We're going to stop Sigourney, right?" Sabriena asked. "I can't take much more of this."

"Yes, we are, Sabriena," Piccolo answered. "I swear it."


	8. Let Them Come

"You're all mad!" Sanath bellowed as he slammed the heavy, gilded door against the sounds of chattering laughter. The echoing boom drowned out the maniacal voices behind him. He growled at the sticky threads on his forearm, wincing in pain as he gingerly peeled them away. 'Curse her,' he thought as he looked at the long, thin, angry burns on his arm. This entire mission was doomed to failure if he had to keep working with the likes of _them. _

"Now, now, lassie," cooed the old nursemaid as she gently bounced the baby in her arms, walking up the wide corridor of the castle. "No more fussing. You'll feel better after a nice, warm bath."

"How is the child, Branwen?" Sanath asked as she approached.

The heavy set old woman smiled kindly at him. "Oh fine, if you disregard the fact that she's filthy. Honestly, I've never met a little one so keen on playing in an ash bucket."

"Was she hurt?" he exclaimed, rushing forward and looking the infant over carefully.

"No, love," Branwen said calmly. "The ashes were cooled." She tipped her head to the side and looked at him. "Have you ever met one so small that was able to crawl already?"

"She is far beyond being a normal child," Sanath answered as the sooty baby stared up at him curiously. She blinked her vibrant blue eyes and scrunched up her tiny, ash-streaked nose.

"That she is," Branwen agreed. "She has been with us only but a week and already she has learned to crawl. The first day, she could barely roll to her front."

"It's the magick here," he explained. "She's feeding off of it, learning from it. She's clever already. Praise the Ancients we rescued her from such a mundane existence."

"Aye," she nodded, her wizened face smiling at the babe in her arms. "Praise the Ancients for that. They'd have ruined her."

"We won't let that happen," he said in a hushed voice.

She eyed the burn marks on his arm. "Looks like you ran afoul of Arachne."

Sanath glanced at his burned arm once again and shrugged. "She was rather… enthusiastic… during the power raising."

"Ah, I see," the old nurse said. "Hold still, ye wee lit'l bugger." Paige was wriggling in Branwen's arms, reaching her pudgy little hands out towards Sanath, making grabbing motions.

"What is it, little one?" he asked, leaning forward and grabbing her hands with one of his.

Gripping Sanath's index finger tightly, baby Paige screwed up her face in a look of almost angry concentration. Without warning, a warm glowing light radiated from Paige's hands, flowing up Sanath's arm. He jumped and wrenched his hand away, staring at the baby as though she had shocked him. He was suddenly aware that the pain in his arm was gone. Looking down, he couldn't help but gasp. The burn marks were healed with no trace of ever having been there.

"What power is this?" Sanath whispered.

"Ab-ppppppppp," Paige blew a raspberry and giggled as though she was very proud of herself.

"Well then," Branwen said, somewhat surprised. "Special powers or no special powers, you're still taking a bath." And with that, she strolled down the corridor, leaving Sanath to gape in awe at his healed arm.

The child was far more powerful than he had expected. He wondered at the power she exhibited, but didn't have long to mull it over. The energy created by the power raising would not last long and he needed to hurry to Sigourney before the energy ran stale. He hurried up an elegant spiral stair case that looked as though the entire piece had been intricately carved from a single piece of wood. He came to a stop outside Sigourney's bedchamber and knocked.

"Entre," she answered.

"M'lady," he greeted her as he stepped into the room.

"Is it done?" she asked, her shoulders trembling as she drew breath.

He nodded. "I am prepared to cast the healing spell, with your permission, of course."

"Do it, Sanath," she whispered.

"I shall gather the required artifacts and return presently," he stated formally and bowed to her.

She nodded, unable to speak as she struggled to draw another breath. Sanath turned on his heel and hurried from the room, his mind roaming over his mental list of necessary components for the spell and still contemplating the power of the tiny half-Namek.

* * *

"Gohan, we're past the three hour mark," Lindsey called over the storm.

"Yeah, I know," he answered, flying closer to her. "You cold?"

"A little," she admitted, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'm okay."

He shook his head. "You don't always have to pretend to be so tough, ya know."

She cocked an eyebrow. "You'd prefer for me to be a whiny brat?"

He chuckled. "Okay, okay. We'll go with the tough-guy routine."

She smirked and looked back towards the collection of islands they were hovering over. "This is hopeless."

"Don't say that," he scolded.

"Why are we always stuck in a storm?" Lindsey asked as the driving sheets of rain washed over them.

"No idea."

She huffed and watched as the rain fell to the ground. It was weird watching it fall from this high in the air.

"I wonder if they're done," Gohan muttered quietly to himself as his eyes scanned the ground, too.

"Wonder if who's done?" Lindsey asked, turning towards him.

Gohan flinched. "Uh, no one. Just talking out loud. Don't mind me!"

Lindsey blinked and floated closer to him. "What are you talking about?"

"I… uh…" Gohan could feel his cheeks and ears burning, despite the cool rain that fell on him.

Lindsey tipped her chin down and fixed him with a dark stare. "Gohan."

"Okay, okay," Gohan admitted. He rubbed at the back of his neck, looking guilty. "Piccolo wanted some… alone time… with Jenny."

Lindsey blinked at him. "You mean we're out here searching for their baby while they have-" she screwed up her face in anger "bow-chicka-wow-wow time?!"

Gohan laughed nervously again. "That's one way to put it."

"And here she went and busted Leelee's chops about that exact same thing."

Gohan shrugged.

"Waaaaaaait a second," Lindsey drawled, realization dawning on her. "You only brought me out here to get me out of the Lookout!"

"What?" Gohan cried innocently. "No, I didn't!"

"Oh – my – god – Gohan!" she shouted, slapping at him. "You brought me out here to help your buddy get some ass?!"

"Ouch! Hey! Stop!" he yelled, cringing away from her. "It's not like that!"

"Then explain yourself," she said, crossing her arms.

"They haven't had a moment to themselves in a long time," Gohan said, pleading his case. "This is really important. Piccolo thought he was losing her!"

"What? Losing her?" Lindsey asked.

Gohan sighed. "It's been a really long time since they… you know…"

"Had sex?"

Gohan cringed. "I really don't want to think about any of our friends doing that."

"You could always picture your parents."

"Oh, GOD! Why would you say that?!"

She threw her head back in the rain and laughed.

"_Anyway," _he continued, somewhat annoyed,_ "_we all agreed to be out of the Lookout at the same time. Piccolo really needed to spend some time with her. He really felt like their relationship was falling apart."

"And you expect me to believe Piccolo told you all this?"

Gohan laughed. "Men do talk about more than just sports and cars."

"Hot chicks?" Lindsey added, floating closer to Gohan.

He wrapped his arms around her waist. "Hot chicks. Definitely."

Lindsey sighed. "You are a hopeless romantic, Gohan." She kissed his nose. "I worry about you."

He chuckled.

"So this was all a rouse?" she asked in a disappointed voice, slinking back away from him.

"Huh? No! I wouldn't waste time like that!" Gohan protested. "Honestly, no one's searched this area yet."

Lindsey's eyes roamed over the islands beneath them again, although from this height, it was hard to make out much of anything in the darkness. "This doesn't make sense. We've searched everywhere. Where on Earth could they be?"

He shook his head slowly, staring down at the blackened ocean. A sudden thought struck Gohan at his wife's words. "Earth… they're not on the Earth," he said quietly.

"Huh?"

"Lindsey, you're a genius!" Gohan cried, grabbing her by the shoulders.

She raised an eyebrow. "Gohan, it's official. You've cracked."

"No!" he answered. "You said 'where on Earth could they be?' They're not on the Earth!"

Her expression was pure confusion as she stared at him through the pouring rain.

"Come on," Gohan said, rising higher towards the clouds.

"Gohan, what do you mean?" She called and followed him towards those black, ominous clouds. A chill ran down her spine.

"Have you ever seen clouds like these?" Gohan asked as they continued to rise.

"No," she answered.

"I thought Sigourney was using these storms to distract us from finding her castle," Gohan said in a loud voice as the wind blew harder. "But I was wrong. She's using the clouds to _hide_ her castle."

Lindsey stared at him as though he'd lost his mind. By the time they stopped their ascent, they were only a few yards below the ceiling of clouds. The rain was so concentrated, Lindsey felt as though she were standing in a waterfall. She kept running her hands over her face, slicking the water out of her eyes, to no avail.

"I think the castle is on top of the clouds!" Gohan shouted over the rushing sound of the rain. Thunder crackled so close to them, they actually had to place their hands over their ears.

"But, clouds are just condensed water vapor!" Lindsey protested. "They can't actually hold anything!"

Every child dreams about floating on a cloud or about how delightfully soft and fluffy a cloud would be, if only one could reach them. It isn't until we are grown that we realize that clouds are incorporeal – to touch a cloud would be no different than standing in a thick fog. The very thought, then, of clouds being capable of holding up something as monumental as a castle was absurd as far as Lindsey was concerned.

Gohan held one hand over his forehead, shielding his eyes from the rain and looked up, considering the clouds. They looked more solid than any cloud he'd ever seen before, even more so than Nimbus. And if Nimbus was capable of carrying him, why wouldn't these clouds, so huge and vast that they encompassed the entire Earth, be able to hold up a building? It made sense to him. He raised higher still, one hand reaching out to touch the clouds.

"Gohan, don't!"

He didn't hear her. He marveled at the black form as his hand touched the cloud. He could press his hand through it, but there was a solidity there much like that of Nimbus. "Get up here!"

Lindsey drew a deep breath and rose up beside him.

"Touch it."

Cautiously, Lindsey extended her hand and touched the cloud. It felt solid at first, then her hand slowly sunk into its inky blackness, swallowing her arm. She pulled back and shrieked as part of the cloud clung to her forearm. She gave it a shake and the little cloud vanished like smoke, rejoining the great cloud above.

"Come on," Gohan said and grabbed Lindsey's wrist. He pressed a shoulder against the cloud, allowing it to slowly pull him in. The sensation of rising through the clouds was indescribable. Still able to breathe, yet not as well as he'd have liked, Gohan slid upwards through the impossibly thick clouds that pressed in on them and weighed them down. It was like sliding between two water mattresses. That was the only thing he could imagine that would compare to this sensation. It was taking forever and just when Gohan thought he couldn't handle the compressed feeling anymore, they broke through the top of the clouds.

"I don't ever want to do that again," Lindsey gasped, placing her hands firmly on the cloud surface and hauling herself out of the clouds as if she were pulling herself from a swimming pool.

Gohan was too busy looking around to remind her that they'd have to go back the way they came. "Look," he breathed.

Lindsey gasped and stared up at the Romanesque castle before her. It loomed over them; its dark stone walls seemed impenetrable, its many turrets reaching for the sky overhead. She was suddenly aware that the rain had ceased. She stood, testing the clouds beneath her feet. It felt as though she were standing on soggy ground. The air was warm and still, stars shone brightly in the pink and orange tinged sky as though it were either dusk or dawn. She couldn't tell which.

"I forgot how big it was," Gohan said in awe.

"That's what she said," Lindsey murmured.

Gohan snorted.

"So, do we try to get in?" Lindsey asked.

"No, we can't do this alone," Gohan answered.

"We have to go back?" she whined, looking at the black clouds beneath her feet.

He nodded.

"All right," she sighed.

"Let's go tell everyone we found it," Gohan said. "We'll get a plan together and come back."

Lindsey swallowed and nodded.

* * *

"Curse them all!" Sanath shouted, running at a full sprint back to Sigourney's room, his arms full of bottles and candles. He banged noisily into the room. "M'lady!" he gasped, clutching at a stitch in his side. "They've found us!"

Sigourney's eyes were heavy as she slowly turned her head to him. "How many?"

"Two," he answered. "The redhead and one of the Saiyan hybrids."

She wearily raised a hand to rub at her forehead. The small gesture seemed to exhaust her. "Can you heal me before they attack?"

"They left," Sanath panted. "I believe they are gathering their comrades. The Android and the Saiyans. The Namek. They will return shortly, you can be sure."

"Can you... heal me... in time?" she asked again, her voice a faint, raspy whisper.

"I need hours to perform this spell," he said, his heart sinking.

A determined look crossed the sickly queen's face. "Then stall them."

"St-stall them, your majesty?" Sanath stuttered.

"Allow them to… explore… the castle…"

"But how do I…?"

"Let Nyx handle it."

Hope swelled in Sanath's heart as the door to the bedchamber creaked open. It was Branwen, carrying the now perfectly squeaky clean Paige. Paige grinned at Sanath, her shocking pink curls bouncing as she wiggled again.

"Branwen, you must keep the child in here," Sanath instructed. "They've found us."

A frightened look filled the nursemaid's eyes. "You must stop them, Sanath!" It was a plea, not an order.

"I'll do my best," he promised. "But I must heal Sigourney immediately. Leave the baby in the crib and go warn Nyx. Then return directly and do not let the child out of your sight!"

Branwen nodded and quickly tucked little Paige into bed, then scurried from the room, looking absolutely terrified.


	9. Lead the Way, Gohan

Jenny's head was reeling. Her daughter was kidnapped, her old home was destroyed, her friends were injured or dead… She couldn't understand. Her brain was filled with a static-like feeling, her ears were ringing, and the room began to spin. She suddenly felt very tired and thought she'd like nothing more than to lay down to sleep and never wake up. She didn't cry or scream; she just went numb.

Piccolo didn't know what to do. Sabriena was leaning against Jenny, bawling, and Jenny was staring blankly at the table like all the life had been sucked right out of her. He almost felt like crying himself, but was far too stubborn and proud to give in to such a foreign, weak emotion. Just as he was wishing someone else would show up to comfort the girls, Catie and Trunks walked in, ringing rainwater from their hair, Leelee and Seventeen right behind them.

"We didn't find anything," Trunks said.

"Neither did we," Seventeen added.

"Sabriena!" Catie cried in joy and ran to her friend to hug her. "What's wrong?" she asked when she realized how upset Sabriena was. Sabriena explained about the warehouse as Catie covered her mouth with her hands, staring in horror and Leelee wrapped her arms around Jenny, who still didn't respond.

"Aw, man, not Kolya," Trunks whined. "I really liked him."

"Kolya's a badass," Seventeen agreed.

Catie sat on the floor and leaned her back against the side of Sabriena's chair, all her excitement gone. She chewed the inside corner of her mouth and blinked away the burning sensation in her eyes.

"Anybody ready to head out again?" came Goku's voice as he and Vegeta entered the kitchen. They'd taken the last few hours to get some rest and now seemed like they were both in quite a good mood. Upon noticing the dark atmosphere of the kitchen, Goku asked, "Did something happen while we were asleep?"

Sabriena nodded and was preparing to explain again when the door banged open once more.

"Found it!" Lindsey cried, her eyes beaming.

"Found what?" Piccolo asked, his heart skipping a beat.

"The castle! We found it!" Gohan answered.

Everyone jumped to their feet and rushed forward, anxious to hear more.

"It's above the clouds," Gohan said.

"Above the clouds?" Trunks asked skeptically. "How is that possible?"

Lindsey was shaking her head, trying to catch her breath; she and Gohan had flown back as fast as they possibly could. "That's what I thought too… but it's there. We saw it ourselves."

"You went above the clouds?" Catie cried.

Gohan blinked at her. "Well, yeah."

"Goddammit, you guys, did you forget everything me and Trunks went through?!" she scolded.

"It was the only place we hadn't looked!" Gohan protested. "And it paid off!"

"But you could've been killed!" she screeched.

"You two can bicker about this later," Piccolo cut in. "Gohan, did you get inside the castle?"

"We didn't try it. We thought it would be better to come back here, make a plan, and then take you guys to it," Gohan answered.

"Smart call," Vegeta stated.

Gohan tried not to look too proud of himself. It was a rare thing to receive a compliment from Vegeta.

"Sabriena!" Lindsey gasped. "When'd you get here?"

"Just a little bit ago," Sabriena muttered, rubbing her eyes.

"So you finally got my messages about Paige?"

Sabriena shook her head and sniffled again.

"Subbie, what's wrong?" Lindsey asked in a concerned voice.

"A tornado hit the warehouse-"

Lindsey gasped.

"-most everyone is dead or missing."

'Oh, god,' Gohan thought as Lindsey's knees began to shake. She shook her head and looked to Gohan, "We have to go."

"You can't save them now," Piccolo said reasonably. "We have to stop Sigourney."

"But-" Lindsey began to protest.

"Stop Sigourney, and then we can find the dragonballs to wish them back," Piccolo said, raising his voice to speak over her.

Lindsey swallowed the knot in her throat. "You promise?"

"You have my word."

Lindsey nodded. "Okay."

"So what's the plan?" Seventeen asked.

"I say we bust down the door and blast anyone who gets in our way," Vegeta growled. Jenny may have moved in with Piccolo, but she was still Vegeta's brat as far as he was concerned, and he wanted Paige back just as badly as any of the rest of them did.

"Sounds good to me," Goku agreed.

"You can't do that!" a voice rang through the Lookout.

"Who's that?" Leelee gasped, looking around for the source of the voice.

"Show yourself!" Goku commanded.

"I can't," the voice whispered. "Now hush and listen. I don't have much time."

"Enye?" Catie asked, looking up at the ceiling.

"Hello, Catherine," Enye answered in a hushed voice. "Listen, Sigourney knows you're coming. Her defenses are waiting for you. You must proceed with caution."

"Are they strong?" Goku asked.

"No," Enye whispered. "But they don't need to be. Their abilities are powerful enough. This is not a battle that can be won on pure strength alone."

Vegeta snorted in an irritated sort of way. "Why not?"

"They have put up protective spells around themselves. Energy blasts will merely ricochet off. Believe me, I've tried."

"Where are they keeping Paige?" Jenny asked.

"I don't know," Enye whispered sadly. "I'm in the dungeon. Sigourney locked us away when she found out I warned you about her last attack. I only overheard the guards speaking about it."

"We'll get you out," Catie vowed.

"Don't bother with me, I'll be fine," Enye whispered quickly. "You must rescue the child. Sigourney plans to use her to enslave the whole universe."

"How? She's just a baby!" Jenny shouted angrily.

"She's more powerful than you think," Enye explained. "If Sigourney can raise her the way she sees fit, train her in the old ways, make her see thing the way Sigourney does, it will be only too easy for Sigourney to take control."

"I don't understand," Jenny muttered sadly.

"Your daughter is the first of her kind," Enye went on. "Sigourney is infuriated at the way she was beaten in her battle against you and how long it has taken her to recover. She knows the healing capabilities of the Nameks. I have heard she has her own healer, but his methods are too detailed and time consuming. With Paige at her side, she believes she will be invincible. She also understands how powerful you and your husband are. She believes Paige, as a combination of the two of you, will far surpass you in strength. Add that to years of magickal training, and you've got a recipe for one seriously powerful being."

Jenny blushed at Enye calling Piccolo her husband, but Piccolo didn't bat an eye. "So she doesn't intend to take the power for herself?"

"No. She wouldn't need to. She has your daughter for all that, to use as a puppet at her every whim. Taking the power for herself is unnecessary."

"So tell me again why we can't just blast the place apart?" Vegeta demanded.

"You could kill Paige!" Enye responded in an infuriated whisper. "And if you kill whoever is creating this storm, the castle will fall. I don't know who it is. It could be any one of them. If you destroy that person, you won't have time to find Paige. She will die in the destruction, just like everyone else, possibly yourselves included. Don't be a fool!"

"So what exactly are we facing?" Gohan asked.

"I don't know who she's selected to face you. But it won't be a test of strength, I can tell you that. It will take nerve and cunning to make it through the castle."

"If we can't fight them, then how do we get through?" Goku asked.

"You must outsmart them."

"Well, that rules you out, Kakarot," Vegeta smirked.

Goku's shoulders slumped. "Aw, man. I wanted a good fight."

"You don't want to go up against them, sir," Enye said softly. "You must remember, it is magick, not strength, that makes them dangerous. They would not fight fair and there's no telling which is stronger – energy or magick."

"Explain," Vegeta commanded.

Enye sighed. "You're comparing apples to oranges. Energy, like that which you use to fight, comes from within yourself. Only you can determine how much energy you expend, how much energy you can gain. Magick, on the other hand, comes from outside a person. It's the life-force of the universe. It is in every living thing. It is immeasurable. That power has no limits – only the conjurer is limited in how much he or she can draw and control. If you have several people working together to raise that power, to draw on it and focus it, it can become extremely dangerous. Energy and magick are similar, but also decidedly different."

"Is there anyone in particular we should be wary of?" Seventeen asked.

"Yes," Enye breathed. "You must…" her voice trailed off. "Someone's coming. I have to go. Be careful. Watch out for Nyx. Goodbye!"

"Wait!" Jenny shouted. "Enye? ENYE?!"

There was nothing but silence.

"I don't like the sounds of this," Seventeen muttered.

"Nor do I, but we don't have a choice," Piccolo said. "We need to get moving before this healer has time to restore Sigourney to her full power. Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Trunks, Seventeen, come with me. The rest of you wait here."

There was a cry of outrage from the girls.

"Like hell we're staying here!" Leelee shouted.

"No effing way," Catie growled, crossing her arms.

But it was Jenny who made everybody cringe. "Piccolo, if you think for one SECOND that I am going to sit back and wait to see what happens, you've lost your goddamn mind! I am NOT just going to sit here and wait. Paige is my daughter too, and I'll be damned if I'm going to miss out on an opportunity to kill the bastards that took her! I am coming with you whether you like it or not!"

Catie nodded her approval.

"I am not going to lose you, too!" Piccolo shouted back. "You're not the only one who's hurting, Jenny! I'm out of my mind with worry about her! Do you know how horrible it would be if I lost you too?"

"You will if you try to stop me from going with you!"

Piccolo looked taken aback. "Are you threatening to break up with me?" he asked in a dangerously low voice.

"Maybe I am," Jenny replied in a tone that matched his with a look on her face that was twice as fierce.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Time out!" Goku cried. He grabbed Piccolo and steered him away from Jenny. "Piccolo, come here for a second."

* * *

Jenny was seething as the girls huddled around her.

"Okay, how do we handle this?" Catie asked.

"There's two ways we can do this," Lindsey said in a hushed voice. "We can play the sex card, or the tears card."

"I don't think the sex card is gonna win out right now," Sabriena muttered.

"It always works with Seventeen," Leelee snickered.

"Trunks, too," Catie agreed.

"The sex card isn't going to work on Goku and Vegeta," Jenny argued.

"It might," Leelee giggled.

"Okay, that's creepy," Lindsey shuddered.

"I say we go with tears," Jenny said. "I'm so pissed off, I could cry anyway."

Lindsey nodded enthusiastically.

* * *

"We should bring them with us," Goku said.

"I disagree," Piccolo countered as they stood on the opposite side of the kitchen. He was so irritated, he wasn't even listening to the girls' conversation.

"Dad, I don't like the idea of Lindsey going in that castle," Gohan protested.

"Gohan, you can't keep her on the shelf," Goku argued. "She's not as fragile as you think." He looked at Trunks. "And neither are any of the rest of them."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Trunks chuckled. "Catie loves beating the crap out of me."

Vegeta looked disgusted. "You let a female beat you?"

"Yes. 'Let' being the operative word there," Trunks replied.

"We'll see about that."

"Anyway," Goku interrupted, "you heard what that girl said about magick. The girls already know how to use magick. We might have a better advantage here than what we thought."

"I thought their powers were based on energy, like ours?" Trunks asked. "When they power up, it feels like energy."

Goku nodded. "That's what I thought too. But now I think they actually have a combination of both. I think energy and magick are more related than Enye thinks. Think about what she said – magick comes from every living thing. Every. Living. Thing. What does that sound like?"

Piccolo's eyes widened. "You mean the Spirit Bomb?"

"Mm-hmm. That's exactly what I'm talking about."

"But you don't know how to do magick, Dad," Gohan pointed out.

"That's my point," Goku said. "I think there's a fine line between energy and magick. The girls use their energy to boost their magick and I don't think they even realize what they're doing because it comes so naturally to them. And that's what we've taught them – to raise their energy after they've transformed – because that's what we're used to."

"So what exactly are you saying, Goku?" Piccolo asked.

"That if for nothing else, we should bring them. We may not be able to fight Sigourney's followers if they are protecting themselves with magick, but the girls might stand a chance since they use magick themselves."

"But, Dad, I don't want Lindsey to get hurt."

Goku turned to Gohan. "Haven't you been sparring with her?"

"No, I don't want to hurt her," Gohan protested.

Goku snorted good-naturedly. "If you had, you'd know your wife can hold her own now."

Gohan looked rather embarrassed.

"And if I know Vegeta, Jenny will be just fine too, Piccolo," Goku added.

"Okay, start tearing up," Lindsey whispered. It didn't take much for her to cry – she truly was heartbroken over the news about her friends back in the states. She sniffled, willing the big crocodile tears to roll down her cheeks.

Jenny's tears were rolling freely as Catie scrunched up her face, trying to get tears going.

"Okay, girls, let's go!" Goku hollered, making a big "come on" motion with his arm.

Lindsey and Jenny spun around. "HUH?!"

"We'd better get going!"

The girls looked at each other and hurriedly wiped their eyes, then trotted over to the men.

"Were you crying?" Trunks asked Catie.

"Nope," Catie sniffed. "Allergies."

He cocked an eyebrow. "All the plants are underwater right now."

She shoved her elbow into his abs to shut him up. "That's how allergic I am."

He frowned and rubbed at his stomach as Vegeta muttered "pathetic" under his breath.

"Lead the way," Goku said to Gohan, who was still dripping wet from his recent discovery of the castle. He nodded to his dad, grabbed Lindsey by the hand, and led them out into the rain.


	10. Nyx

"Should we get a hold of Tien and the others?" Trunks called through the blustering wind as they flew towards the place Gohan was leading them.

"There's no time for that now," Piccolo answered loudly.

"This is it!" Gohan announced as he slowed to a stop in mid-air.

"So how do we get up there?" Catie asked, staring up at the clouds that rained down upon her.

"You just have to press your way through," Gohan answered, slicking rain from his eyes with the heels of his hands. "It's a really weird sensation."

"I don't like it!" Lindsey added.

Gohan shook his head, but agreed, "It does kind'a feel like you're being smothered. Just… Just do it as quick as possible and it's not so bad."

Jenny wasn't waiting for any more instruction. She rose quickly towards the clouds, intending to burst through them, and cried out in shock as she hit them and bounced back.

"Not that quick," Gohan muttered and raised up beside her. "You gotta ease your way into them, like this." He pressed his hand against the cloud firmly and Jenny watched as his arm began to sink into it. She mimicked him, and stared in surprise as the solidity gave way to the consistency of thick mud. The others followed suit and soon they all found themselves sliding up through the thick, compressed clouds.

If it hadn't been for the thought of Paige being so close, Jenny thought she might not have been able to make it through the clouds. It was so incredibly pitch black and the clouds pressed in on her so tight, it made her feel terribly claustrophobic. Rainwater poured continuously over her as she rose through the thick clouds; she felt as though she might drown. She felt her hand break the surface of the clouds and strong, cold fingers wrapped around her wrist, pulling her free. She sucked in a lungful of fresh, dry air and found Seventeen smiling at her. "Thanks," she gasped at him and he nodded.

"Well that was unpleasant," Vegeta growled, hauling himself to his feet.

"This place looks a lot bigger from the outside," Leelee stated, her hands on her hips, staring up at the monstrous castle.

"Do we just go in the front door?" Gohan asked quietly. "I mean, they know we're coming."

"It could be a trap," Piccolo said.

"The whole thing's a trap," Vegeta stated. "They made that pretty clear."

"We can't just stroll up there and ring the doorbell!" Trunks protested.

"Why the hell not?" Leelee asked. "Let's just go at this head-on."

"I'm with Leelee," Catie added.

"Quit being such hotheads and think," Seventeen said levelly in his cold voice.

"HOTHEADS?" Catie and Leelee screeched.

The argument that ensued was ridiculous, everyone shouting over each other, trying to convince everyone else why their own plan of attack was the best.

"YOU CHICKENSHIT-"

"CAN'T GO IN THE FRONT –"

"DO YOU WANNA END UP IN A GLASS BOX AGAIN?"

"SAY IT TO MY FACE!"

"-HAVE TO WATCH OUT FOR-"

"I WILL PUT MY SIZE NINE STRAIGHT UP YOUR-"

"-GUARDING THE BABY-"

"IT'S ALWAYS A TRAP!"

A bloodcurdling scream rent the air as Lindsey jumped and grabbed the nearest person (who happened to be Goku), digging her nails into his arm.

"Ouch! Hey, what-?" he cried as she pointed at the front steps to the castle.

"The fuck is that?!" she wailed, her eyes full of fear. Her voice cracked. "What the fuck IS that?"

"I wish you'd watch your mouth," he scolded quietly and then looked up at the castle.

The tall double doors had been flung wide open. A tiny girl with long platinum blonde hair was standing as still as a statue on the top stair. Her loose, stringy curls hung to her waist. She wore a long, old fashioned white sleeping gown trimmed in lace and a sad-looking teddy bear was dangling from her left hand. Her nearly-white pale blue eyes stared blankly at them all.

"Lindsey, calm down, it's just a little kid," Goku said calmly.

"The hell it is," she whispered, moving to hide behind her father-in-law. Still keeping a death grip on his arm, she peered around his waist to glimpse the girl again, shrieked, and ducked back behind Goku once more.

Goku looked wide-eyed at Gohan. "What's her problem?"

Gohan couldn't keep the exasperation from his voice. "She believes in ghosts."

Catie thought she understood Lindsey's fear. The little girl was creepy as hell, and that was putting it nicely. She didn't suppose she'd ever seen a ghost before, but if she had, it would look like that little girl.

Jenny, on the other hand, felt as though she should help the child. She stepped forward, closing the gap between herself and the foot of the stairs, looking up at the girl. "Are you okay?" she asked kindly.

The little girl didn't respond. She didn't even move. She just continued to stare straight ahead with that dead look in her eyes.

Jenny climbed the first few steps cautiously. "Are you okay, honey?" she asked a little louder.

"Jenny," Piccolo growled in a warning voice.

Jenny looked over her shoulder at Piccolo. "Maybe she can help us."

"Or maybe she's here to lure you into a bad situation," he replied.

"Jennifer, you're being foolish," Vegeta scolded.

She squared her shoulders and turned back to the unmoving girl. "Do you need help?"

With a movement so slow it was almost hard to see, the little girl finally turned her face to Jenny. Jenny felt a shiver run up her neck as she looked into the pale, unemotional eyes. The little girl's mouth opened slowly and she began to sing in an airy, haunting voice.

_"One, Two, we've been waiting for you,_

_Three, Four, we've opened the door_

_Five, Six, better watch out for Nyx,_

_Seven, Eight, will you meet your fate?_

_Nine, Ten, let us play again."_

Jenny went as rigid as a poker and her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the child. She suddenly didn't feel so inclined to help the child at all and wanted nothing more than to flee from her, yet she couldn't seem to make her feet move.

Goku shook his arm free from Lindsey and headed for the stairs, the others falling into step behind him. He only paused when he was right beside the child. "Thank you," he said kindly to her as he passed.

She stared up at him without blinking.

Jenny finally found herself able to move when Piccolo grabbed her hand and walked up the rest of the stairs with him. Lindsey made sure to position Trunks, Catie and Gohan between herself and the ghost-like child. She held her left hand up like a blinder and stared at the floor, muttering, "Don't look at it, don't look at it, don't look at it…"

They entered the cavernous foyer that was lit by rustic torches hanging on the walls. Warily, they walked forward, carefully testing the atmosphere, looking for energy signals that might tell them what they were up against. But it was to no avail. There simply wasn't anyone strong enough to send up any red flags for them. The doors behind them closed with a slam, making them jump and look over their shoulders. The little girl strode forward, eyes staring straight ahead, her face expressionless, dragging her raggedy teddy bear, singing once again.

_"One, Two, you'll get what's coming to you_

_Three, Four, and maybe a little more_

_Five, Six, look in our bag of tricks_

_Seven, Eight, you don't have to wait_

_Nine, Ten, 'tis the beginning of the end!"_

By the time she'd stopped singing, she'd passed the Z-fighters and reached the end of the large corridor, grabbed the ring-shaped doorknob, and slowly pulled the door open for them.

"Now she's starting to freak me out," Seventeen murmured.

The room she led them to was dark and silent. Once again, the door behind them closed with an echoing boom. This time, however, the little girl did not follow, but they could hear her eerie giggling from the other side of the door.

"Now what?" Catie whispered into the pitch blackness.

A soft light began to glow in the room, illuminating their surroundings. The walls of the circular room held several doors, each inscribed with strange markings. The center of the floor was painted in a huge black and white spiral that stretched to the walls.

"Follow the yellow brick road," Leelee said softly, looking at the floor.

Catie threw her a dirty look. "If we see munchkins, I swear, I will scream."

Trunks cocked an eyebrow at her, but said nothing. He was too busy trying to choose a door for them to go through. Who knew what was lying behind each one? He couldn't feel a particularly strong energy behind any of the doors. But there were definitely energies there. And that made him nervous.

The soft _t-tishh t-tishh t-tishh_ of a drumstick against metal broke the silence and burlesque music began to play.

"What's going on?" Goku wondered aloud.

"Welcome," said a high, sickly sweet voice.

They glanced around the empty room, looking for the source of the voice.

"Oh, Kami, not again," Vegeta groaned. He'd nearly been driven mad the last time they'd come into this castle, arguing with a disembodied voice, trying to figure out who they were dealing with.

A figure faded into view in the middle of the spiral floor, her back to the group of fighters who immediately dropped into defensive positions.

"Face us," Jenny commanded.

The figure pivoted on her tall high-heeled boots, one hand on her hip, and grinned widely at them. Her vibrant purple hair was pulled up into high pigtails, which were done up in tangled, messy buns. A tiny top hat was perched to the left side of her head. She wore a light purple, sequined corset that pinched her waist and ruffled purple boy shorts. Her long legs were clad in silver fishnets, the right leg sporting a pink and white striped stocking hooked to a garter belt. She grinned wickedly at them, her teeth gleaming white behind her dark purple lipstick. A thin, elongated heart was painted on her right cheek, stretching from her eye to her jaw.

Without a word, Vegeta fired an energy blast at the strangely pretty young woman.

"Vegeta!" Goku scolded.

The girl caught the orb one-handed, and stared curiously at it as it dissolved in her palm. Then she looked at them again, grinning wider. She pranced quickly up to Vegeta and stood nearly nose-to-nose with him, the burlesque music growing louder. "Hey fella, can I talk to you for a second? What's the harm in a little talk?"

Vegeta gaped at her, but before he could respond, she'd flitted over to Goku. "Hey, good-lookin', I like your hair," she purred, running her fingers through it and trailing a long, lavender fingernail down his jaw. Goku blushed in spite of himself.

She spun several times, until she was chest-to-chest with Lindsey, wrapping her slender arm around the redhead's waist and sliding her other hand into Lindsey's pocket. "Hey, missy, got a cigarette for me? Huh?" she asked, withdrawing the surprisingly dry pack from Lindsey's wet jeans. She quickly popped one in her mouth and, without lighting it, drew on the cigarette and exhaled a stream of smoke in Lindsey's face. Gohan looked murderous.

"Hey monsieur," she cooed at Trunks, shoving Lindsey harshly away and rushing up to him. "Do you speak French? Parle vous francais?"

She twirled away from him, dropping the cigarette, and grabbed Seventeen's wet shirt, pulling him to her. "Hey cowboy, you wanna dance?" she asked, her violet lips tantalizingly close to his. "A little dance won't hurt ya."

Leelee scowled behind the long, wet braids of her hair that had fallen into her eyes.

The girl arched back, catching herself with her hands, and flipped slowly over, her long legs extending into the air and landing lightly on the floor. She straightened and pressed the fingertips of one hand to her chest. "I'm Nyx," she smiled.

She tiptoed quickly up to Piccolo. "Oooooo! You're sooo tall," she squealed. She grinned dangerously at Gohan. "Let's have some fun," she winked.

_"The minute you walked in the joint,_

_I could see you were a man of distinction,_

_A real big spender._

_Good lookin', so refined,_

_Say wouldn't you like to know_

_What's goin' on in my mind?_

_So let me get right to the point_

_I don't pop my cork for every guy I seeeeee,_

_Hey big spender!_

_Spend a little time with me!"_

Her singing voice was much bigger than the voice she'd used to speak to them and didn't fit her tiny stature at all. The Z-Fighters looked at each other in confusion, trying to figure out what was going on. They'd been attacked by enemies before, been tricked, abducted, even had foes monolog, but had never, not once, had one sing to them and flirt the way she was.

"The hell is this, a musical?" Vegeta growled.

Nyx acted as though she didn't hear him and continued to croon in her big, sultry voice.

_"Do you wanna have fun? Fun?_

_How's about a few laughs? Laughs?_

_I could show you a good time!_

_Do you wanna have fun? Fun? Fun?_

_How's about a few laughs? Laughs?_

_I could show you a good time!_

_Hey big spender!_

_Hey big spender!_

_Spennnd a little time with me!"_

She leaned heavily on one leg, once again standing in the middle of the spiral, her other leg bent at the knee, both hands on her hips, and smiled, "How's about it, boys?" as the music faded and turned to a new song that continued to play softly in the background.

"Yeah, how's about no?" Gohan answered.

"Where's my baby?!" Jenny screamed, losing her patience with the young woman who simply smiled at them.

Nyx tsked at them. "Now don't be rude. We have a whole play-date planned for you."

"We're not interested," Piccolo said, crossing his arms across his chest. "We're just here to get my daughter back."

Nyx continued to smile, but her eyes narrowed. "Very well, then. Let the child be the prize at the end of our games. Make it through the challenges we present, and you shall have her."

"And if we lose?" Goku asked in a serious tone.

She shrugged her thin shoulder slightly. "You work for us for eternity."

A door to Nyx's right creaked open and a young man strolled through. He had the same pale skin as Nyx, but was taller than she was, and his spiky hair was an electric blue. He wore black pinstripe trousers held up by black suspenders over his bare chest. He had the long, lean muscles of a dancer, unlike the big, bulky muscles of the Z-Fighters. A black bowler hat was tipped to the side of his head and his feet were adorned with highly polished black and white saddleback dress shoes. He carried a turtle in his hand.

"Who's a good wittle turtle?" he cooed to it, holding it up to eye-level.

Nyx sighed and her shoulders slumped. "You're ruining it."

He blinked in surprise and looked up at her. "Huh? Ruining what?"

She gave a sweeping motion to her small audience. "This."

He looked around at the Z-Fighters. "Oh! Hello!"

"What are you doing with that disgusting creature?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.

"I got to playing with it and forgot I wanted to eat it," he said, looking at the turtle once more.

"Playing? Turtles don't play well."

"Sure they do!" he insisted, his eyes alight with the playfulness of a child. "Just turn 'em on their back and give 'em a good spin!" He suddenly flipped the turtle over and spun it, balancing the poor thing on the tip of his finger.

Nyx rubbed her forehead. "Loki, get out of here. You're absolutely useless."

He caught the turtle and pulled it close. "Fine. Come on, Turtle. She just doesn't understand." He stuck his nose in the air and headed back for the door. Just as he reached it, he turned back to her and shouted, "By the way, you're late for tea!" then slammed the door shut behind him.

Returning her attention back to the Z-Fighters, she gave a forced smile. "I wouldn't start out with that door if I were you."

They were all feeling rather bewildered at the turn of events. Were these people really this indifferent about the situation or were they putting on an act?

"Well now," Nyx said thoughtfully. "We can't have you running around in those wet clothes. Hmm." She threw her hands out in front of her, releasing a wave of bright purple light.

They braced themselves for an impact that never came. Instead, they suddenly found themselves warm and dry. Opening their eyes, they looked at one another in shock.

"Ridiculous!" Vegeta shouted, looking down at his new clothing. He wore black dress pants and shoes with a black vest and tie.

"Much better," Nyx grinned, obviously pleased with herself.

"I hate corsets!" Jenny shrieked, pulling at the painfully tight blue fabric.

"Oooo, pretty," Sabriena cooed, looking down at her metallic gold corset and matching high-heeled boots.

"Are you serious?!" Jenny rounded on her. "You're happy about this?"

"Hey! I'm finally dry!" Sabriena shot back. "And this thing makes my boobs look amazing."

"Nice eyeliner, Gohan," Seventeen smirked.

Gohan went red in the face. "You're wearing it too, ya know."

"I figured as much. But I make this shit look good," Seventeen replied.

They were all dressed in similar burlesque fashion, the girls in brightly colored corsets and boots with short skirts or ruffled bloomers. The men wore clothing like that of Loki; highly polished dress shoes and ironed trousers, held up by suspenders or with matching vests. Most of them looked rather displeased.

"Choose your door wisely," Nyx advised. "Should you make it through the challenge, you will move on to the next challenge. Complete the game and you shall have your prize. Fail, and you will spend an eternity in servitude to her greatness, Queen Sigourney. This is your last chance to turn back. Once the game begins, there is no quitting." She bowed deeply to them, then skipped across the room to the door Loki had exited through. "Good luck," she called back hauntingly to them, then without opening the door, stepped right through it and disappeared.

* * *

Author's note: "Big Spender" lyrics belong to Sweet Charity and Bob Fosse.


	11. Web of Lies

Lindsey was avoiding Gohan's eyes. She felt terribly guilty that Nyx had pulled the cigarettes out of her pocket.

"Well, let's pick a door," Vegeta said, crossing his arms and considering the many options before them.

"Are you okay?" Gohan asked Lindsey quietly.

She sighed. "Gohan, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"The cigarettes," she muttered.

Gohan snorted. "I knew you were smoking. I was pissed that she grabbed you like that."

"You… you knew?"

"You're not as sneaky as you think you are," he answered simply and kissed her forehead.

"If you two are done, we're in a serious situation here!" Piccolo barked.

Lindsey and Gohan jumped and blushed, both of them looking rather guilty.

"They're the ones in a movie who'd waste time making out while the whole world's about to explode," Seventeen snickered.

"I've had enough waiting," Vegeta said. "Let's go." He strode forward towards a door and Jenny fell into step behind him.

"Wait! Father, we don't know what's behind those doors!" Trunks protested.

"And we won't find out until we open one," Vegeta responded coolly. He yanked open the door and gazed inside.

Jenny peered over his shoulder. "Is it empty?" The room was dark with nothing more than long, shimmering white threads stretched back and forth across the walls.

"No, there's someone there," Vegeta answered in a quiet voice. He stepped into the room, his dark eyes roaming over the place, looking for the tiny energy signal he felt. As the others joined him, the door behind them slammed shut.

"There's no turning back now," Leelee muttered.

"Would you quit with the clichés?" Catie snapped. "You're weirding me out!"

Leelee cringed.

"What is this stuff?" Goku asked, stepping forward and looking at the silvery threads. He poked one with his finger and immediately cried out in pain.

"Dad! What's wrong?" Gohan exclaimed.

Goku was frantically trying to brush the thread from his hand, but instead of being able to simply pull it off and throw it to the ground with his opposite hand, it stuck to that one as well. The long thread had broken free from the wall, part of it dangling from Goku's fingers.

Sabriena sighed and walked closer to Goku, stomping on the thread with her tall boot and he was finally able to free himself.

"Oh wow," he breathed. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," she said.

"Does it hurt?" Trunks asked, looking curiously at the threads.

"It's cold," Goku answered, staring at the long burns on his fingers. "It's so cold, it burns. It -"

"It looks like a spider's nest," Jenny said thoughtfully, cutting across Goku.

Leelee looked a little green. "What kind of spider is big enough to made a nest like this?"

A high, ringing laughter filled the room. "Why, Arachne, Queen of the Spiders, of course!"

"It was a rhetorical question," Leelee muttered.

There was a scuttling sound that seemed to come from every direction.

"Where's it coming from?" Goku asked, looking around.

"There!" Vegeta answered, pointing at the ceiling.

A large, dark shape scurried quickly across the rafters, down the wall, and came to a stop in the corner of the room. From the shadow appeared the head and torso of a shapely young woman. She had perfectly straight, silvery white hair that hung to her waist and covered most of her bare torso. She was looking at the floor.

"Oh lord, here we go," Leelee gasped.

"Welcome," Arachne said and lifted her face to them.

Lindsey stumbled backwards a few steps.

Aracnhe's eyes were like white, shining orbs with no pupil at all. Her mouth stretched literally from one ear to the other and her smile revealed a mouth of fangs. She gestured to the room with her long, slender arms, her spindly fingers looked like claws. "This is my home. Your challenge here is simple. Make it across the room and you're free to go." She paused. "Oh, and don't even think about trying to blast your way through."

"Why not?" Jenny demanded.

Arachne stepped forward, revealing the rest of her body. Her torso blended perfectly into the body of a Black Widow spider the size of a Clydesdale. They stared in horror as she stepped dangerously close. "Because if you try to, I will dine on your flesh. 'Tis been so long since I have tasted fresh blood."

"Back off!" Lindsey shouted, powering up and lashing at the creature with a fire whip.

Arachne caught it one handed and smiled wider. In an instant, the flame extinguished and turned to ice.

"Argh!" Lindsey cried and released the whip, which fell to the floor and shattered.

"Your only option is to go through the webs," she said sweetly and sunk back into the shadows to watch.

"Alright, let's get this over with," Gohan sighed.

"Wait, Gohan, you can't-" Goku started, but it was too late, Gohan had already stepped into the web, prepared for the freezing burns. He wasn't prepared, however, for the emotional rush he experienced. Images and memories began to flood his mind. Watching the Z-Fighters die during various battles… the fear he felt when he'd faced Cell… getting caught by his mom when he'd snuck out to play instead of doing his homework… every horrible, fearful, guilty memory of his life was washing over him, whether they were big or small. Every lie, every injury, every disappointment, every single negative thing was slamming into his memory. The pain from that was far worse than the freezing sensation of the webs. Gohan clenched his teeth together and growled in pain.

"What's wrong?" Catie asked.

"It makes you think about all the bad stuff you've ever had happen," Goku answered. "That's what hurt."

Lindsey was staring at the webs, her eyes wide with fear. "I can't do this."

"Come on! We can't let Gohan do this on his own!" Catie declared and started to fight her own way through the webs. She locked her jaw and set her eyes on the door at the far side of the room. God, this was excruciating.

They all followed and were immediately consumed with their own horrific experiences. Vegeta was reliving the destruction of his home planet, the eradication of his race… Trunks could see nothing but the world he grew up in, destroyed by the Androids, the death of Gohan and his mother… Lindsey once again found herself in that cellar at the mercy of two young men who had tortured her so… Catie was locked in that glass box again, feeling helpless… Seventeen was trapped inside Cell, his own voice telling Eighteen to join them… Jenny and Piccolo, though, their pain was still raw. The overturned baby crib, the emptiness they both felt, the horror of not knowing if their baby was okay – this feeling wasn't new to them. They were feeling it anyway. The only new discomfort they were experiencing was the icy burns from the webs. They muscled their way through the webs faster than the others, but the going was still slow.

Jenny understood now why Nyx had thrown her in such a revealing outfit – more of her skin was exposed to the webs, leaving long, thin burns on her body. The further into the webs she got, the harder it was to move. She was becoming entangled in those awful strands, every move was an effort. Her friends were screaming, their cries of pain echoing throughout the room. "Paige," she gasped as she pushed forward another step, "Mommy's coming."

Piccolo was actually grateful for the vest he was wearing – at least it covered his back, unlike Trunks and Seventeen who'd been given nothing but suspenders over their bare chests. He was seriously tempted to pull his arms off and regenerate them at the end of this. Through the thick webs, he could see Jenny to his left, her face set determinedly as she struggled through the threads.

"Ohhh, you're getting closer," Arachne taunted. Somehow, she'd made it past them and was now standing before the door they were heading towards.

Jenny growled at her. The webs were wrapped around her, her movement was more restricted; she was starting to feel like she was going to be trapped there forever. Without thinking about it, she powered up, her hair like water and something happened – the threads around her neck and shoulders slipped away. She stared in wonder for a moment before she understood and several things became clear to her at once. The water prevented the threads from sticking. No wonder Nyx had dried them out – she must have known they would be coming through here. And that meant it didn't matter which door they would have chosen, they would have found themselves here in Arachne's chamber anyway.

Wrenching her right arm around towards Piccolo, Jenny opened her hand and aimed at her boyfriend. With a yell, she released a jet of water, soaking him.

"What was that for?" he demanded.

"Get her, Piccolo!" Jenny shouted.

He was suddenly aware that he'd been released from the webs and charged forward, the threads snapping and giving way as he went.

"NO!" Arachne shouted in fear. She frantically started spinning a web around herself, the threads thicker than any in the room.

Piccolo broke through the last of the webs and stood face-to-face with Arachne. "That won't work," he smirked. He grabbed the webs around her and ripped them down.

Arachne opened her horrible mouth and hissed loudly, swiping at him with her claw-like hands. He dodged her attacks and flew at her, landing a kick to her chest. She stumbled back on her spindly legs, then reared in the air and lunged at him, knocking him to the ground. Her enormous body pinned him to the stone floor as she aimed a long, pointed stinger at him.

Piccolo shouted as he rolled away from her strike, the stinger plunging into the stone just inches from where his leg had been. Arachne screeched in anger and aimed at him again. He reached out and grabbed one of her many legs and pulled, throwing her off balance. She scuttled around and glared down at him as he rolled the opposite direction.

"I will kill you," she hissed, the venom from her sting dripping onto the floor and leaving an acidic burn.

Goku forced his eyes open through the maddening pain, trying to see what was happening. How had Piccolo gotten through so easily? Piccolo's past was far darker than Goku's, yet he was still trapped in these awful webs while Piccolo was not. He was quickly becoming exhausted – the emotional toll the web took on him was unreal.

Piccolo jumped to his feet. "I believe you have that backwards," he said in a deathly quiet voice. "I will be the one to kill you."

She hissed again, opening her jaws wide and dove for him, snapping her viciously sharp teeth. He grabbed her neck, putting a bit of distance between his throat and her fangs, struggling to keep his balance in the slick-bottomed dress shoes on the stone floor. He felt himself slipping and kicked out at one of her legs as he fell. He made contact with the hard, brittle limb and it broke, snapping off jaggedly.

Arachne screeched again, plunging her stinger at him. He felt it rip through the skin on his thigh, the acid-like poison burning through his system. He grabbed his leg and put pressure on the artery to keep the poison from spreading.

Arachne grinned triumphantly. "A leg for a leg, so to speak."

"PICCOLO!" Jenny screamed. She doused herself in water and slipped through the thick web ask quickly as she could.

"Stay back!" he ordered. He really didn't want to do it and he knew it would take a lot of his energy to fix it, but Piccolo had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed his leg even tighter and pulled. Stars popped before his eyes as he felt it detach and the raw, gaping wound closed over. But the burning sensation was gone and he knew he'd prevented the poison from spreading to the rest of his body.

Jenny froze and screamed in horror at the sight of his amputated leg as it slid from his pant leg.

Arachne threw her head back and laughed. "What a stupid way to prolong your death. You're mine now."

Piccolo pushed himself to a sitting position and grinned up at the spidery creature that loomed over him. "If I can do that to myself, just think what I'm going to do to you."

She froze, but before she could react, Piccolo dove sideways, grabbing her leg and wrenching it free from her body. Hissing in anger, Arachne fell to her side, completely off balance.

Jenny gagged at the sound of the spindly legs being ripped from the creature's body. Before she knew it, Arachne was writhing on the floor, her body rolling back and forth, legless.

Jenny pushed through the rest of the webs to Piccolo, who was gasping for breath as he laid flat on his back. She took his face in her hands. "Oh, baby," she whispered. "Your leg! Why did you do that to your leg?!" Tears streamed down her face.

"I'm okay," he answered.

A dragging sound drew their attention. Arachne was clawing her way towards them, her demented face twisted in rage, dragging her heavy spider body across the floor.

"Stay down!" Piccolo barked and fired an energy blast at her.

Too weak to cast a protective spell, the blast hit her full force, killing her instantly.

Heaving a sigh, Piccolo collapsed against the floor. The webs in the room melted away, revealing their friends who had still not been able to make it through.

"Seventeen!" Leelee cried, running to him. He smiled weakly at her and pulled her close.

"I'm okay," he murmured, his shoulders shaking.

"Oh Piccolo, what are we going to do?" Jenny sobbed, frantic over his leg.

"Just calm down," he told her. He took a few deep breaths, raised his power level, and yelled out as his leg regenerated.

Jenny fell backwards, staring in shock at his new leg, which seemed perfectly fine. "You… what? I…"

Piccolo got to his feet. "Nameks can regenerate, as long as our heads aren't damaged. I thought you knew that." He pulled the shoe from the amputated leg and slipped his foot into it.

"No," she gasped, standing up. She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Oh my god, you scared me."

Gohan had crawled over to Lindsey. "You okay?" he asked softly. He was feeling awful and weak.

She shook her head, tears streaming down her face, her shoulders shaking. "Just give me a minute."

"We need to keep going," Vegeta said shakily, walking towards the door at the end of the chamber. "Shake it off."

Gohan pushed himself to his feet and pulled Lindsey up with him.

"Man, that was something, huh?" Goku chuckled nervously. "Wow."

"Here, let me help," Leelee offered, holding her hands out and sweeping Jenny and Piccolo with a stream of warm, dry air.

"Thanks, Leelee," Jenny said gratefully as her clothes dried.

"HA!" Catie laughed to Trunks. "If that's all they've got, this will be a piece of cake."

He cocked an eyebrow at her and chuckled, "Suuuuure."

* * *

Author's Note: This chapter is for Jenny, who's sitting at home recovering from surgery. Hope you feel better soon, girl! I love you!


	12. Erotic Delusion

"WHAT?!" Sigourney roared, propping herself up on her elbows to glare at Nyx.

"Arachne has been killed, your highness," Nyx repeated in a soft voice, staring at the toes of her metallic purple boots. She was furious with Loki for making her come tell Sigourney. He claimed he couldn't do it because he had to teach his turtle proper etiquette for a tea-party.

Sanath looked pale as he stared at Nyx. If they'd made it through the spider's lair that quickly, he didn't know how much time they had left. He swallowed hard and turned to Sigourney. "M'lady, you must lie down. We have to finish the healing spell before they break through all our defences."

The pale queen fell back against the pillows, looking outraged. Already some of the glow had come back to her skin, her hair was looking fuller and vibrant once more, and her voice was strong again. "Hurry it up, Sanath. We don't have much time."

The Shaman nodded and picked up a bundle of herbs, lighting them in a nearby candle, and began to fan the smoke over the queen, murmuring words in Latin. Sweat was pouring down his neck as he worked, directing the raised energy at Sigourney, while still maintaining the storms that raged upon the earth. It was exhausting.

"My Queen, what shall I do?" Nyx asked.

Sigourney appeared lost in thought for a moment. "I have underestimated their strength. Separate the Saiyans from the rest. Then they will surely fall."

"And what do I do with them? Kill them?"

"No," Sigourney answered. "You cannot kill them. I have a plan. Lock them in the dungeon. Then return to me once you have collected all four of them. Trust me – this will be far more entertaining."

A wicked grin split Nyx's face. "As you command," she said sweetly and, as she did before, stepped through the solid door and disappeared.

"Show off," Branwen muttered, cuddling tiny baby Paige who dozed happily in the old woman's soft arms.

* * *

"Let's keep going," Trunks said, reaching for the door even as his hand shook. Those webs were a nightmare. He'd never experienced such agony – reliving every horrible thing that had ever happened to him all at once. He was still trying to shake off the feelings of guilt, pain and disappointment.

"Shouldn't we… ya know… collect ourselves here for a minute?" Lindsey asked, her voice trembling.

"You can stay here if you want," Piccolo answered, "but I'm not wasting any time."

Lindsey glanced over her shoulder at the charred remains of the spider-queen and shuddered. "Nevermind. I think I'm good."

"Go ahead, Trunks," Piccolo nodded.

Trunks took a deep breath and heaved the door open, not quite sure what to expect.

Like the chamber before it, this room was large and dimly lit. Two long pieces of crimson fabric hung from the middle of the ceiling and trailed to the floor as soft violin music played. A heavy perfume permeated the air, immediately overwhelming their senses.

"Are we supposed to climb out of here or something?" Catie asked, looking around. She couldn't see the walls of this room, much less a door that would provide them an exit. The few lights in the room were trained on the fabric.

"I don't think so," Trunks said softly as he stared up at the ceiling.

He saw her first. Tangled in the fabric near the ceiling was the most beautiful woman Trunks had ever laid eyes on. She had long, thick black hair that shone even in the darkness of the room. She slid down the panes of silk, the fabric sliding deliciously over her curves, her full lips curled up in a welcoming smile.

"Oh wow," Leelee breathed, staring at the gorgeous woman.

"Hello," she said in a seductive voice. "I am Mohini." Her dark eyes sparkled as she stared at each of them in turn, dangling from the red silks. She wore only a nude-colored bikini top and bottoms encrusted with glittering crystals, the rest of her lithe body dusted with glitter. Every inch of her body was perfection – her long legs, her hour-glass shape, her stunning face – so beautiful was she that it was almost hard to look at her.

Sabriena took a step forward, gazing back at the woman before her. She couldn't understand it – she'd never felt attracted to another female before. Yes, she could tell if another woman was pretty or attractive, but she'd never felt that way ABOUT another woman. And at the moment, she didn't care. All she wanted to do was stare at Mohini, to get closer to her, touch her…

Sabriena wasn't the only one. Every single one of them was having the same thoughts, even the girls. Jenny thought briefly that she should have felt jealousy of a woman so radiantly beautiful, but she couldn't muster the emotion up; she was far too entranced. She even felt butterflies spring up in her stomach as Mohini's eyes met her own.

Wrapping one leg in a silk, Mohini fell to hang upside down by one ankle and ran her hands through her midnight waves of hair as they dangled close to the floor. She grabbed the second silk and pulled her torso up, her back arching backwards, her heel nearly touching her shoulder.

Seventeen's breath was short and his hands were sweating. He wanted to smile at her, to say something witty or charming and capture her attention, but he couldn't. He felt rooted to the spot, watching her sensual dance in the air as she wound the silks around her ankles, her long legs suspending her in the air between them in the splits. He had to swallow hard as he marveled at her flexibility.

Mohini was nearing the ceiling as she wound her way up the silks. She paused for a moment and smiled at them again. Without warning, she released her grip and fell into a spinning free-fall as the silks unwound.

Trunks' heart leapt. He tried to shout out, but his throat was dry. He watched helplessly as she fell, fear shattering his senses. She stopped suddenly, one silk bound tightly around her waist and she revolved slowly on the spot, her long legs extended into the air and she winked at him. Relief washed over him. He longed to go to her, speak to her… And then, incredibly, she was beckoning him forward with a crook of her finger.

"M-me?" he stammered.

She smiled and nodded.

His feet heavy, Trunks stumbled forward until he was inches away from the silks. Mohini was dangling at eye-level with him. His breathing was heavy and his pulse was pounding in his ears.

"Hello, Trunks," she cooed softly, her dark eyes locked on his. She had the kind of gaze that made you think a person was staring deep into your soul.

The sound of her silky voice speaking his name sent a pleasant shiver up his spine. "I…" he stammered. "How do you know my name?"

"Shh," she hushed, brushing the strands of lavender hair out of his face. She wrapped her slender fingers around the back of his neck, making his knees tremble. Her lips were so close to his, the scent of her perfume intoxicating. Slowly, she pulled herself closer and pressed her full, beautiful lips to his.

Trunks melted into her kiss, tangling his shaking hands into her hair, pressing his mouth hard against hers. He'd never wanted someone so bad in all his life. She tasted as sweet as honey, her hair soft and silky in his fingers. He moaned against the kiss, moving one hand to the back of her neck to pull her even closer. He wanted her right there; he didn't care who was around.

Mohini opened her eyes and looked over Trunks' shoulder at the others in her room as they all stood spell-bound and jealous beyond all belief. With one hand she grabbed the other silk, never breaking the kiss, and opened it wide, wrapping it around herself and Trunks, hiding them from view. In an instant, the silks fell from the ceiling and crumpled on the floor – Mohini and Trunks had vanished.

The spell was broken instantly. The Z-fighters stared at each other as if surprised to see one another.

"What just happened?" Gohan asked.

"Trunks?!" Catie cried, running forward and picking up the silks. "He's gone!"

"That was weird," Jenny said, blinking her eyes slowly. "It was like… I don't know… I… I wanted to…"

"I'd have turned lesbian for her," Lindsey interrupted in a dreamy voice.

"Yeah!" Jenny agreed, surprised at herself.

Catie was seething. "I can't believe he did that! He _kissed_ her!"

"You would have done the same," Vegeta stated, looking around the room for a way to escape. He would have done it, too.

"Whoo, I gotta snap outta it," Goku said, slapping his own face with both hands.

"Now we have two people to find," Piccolo growled, irritated with himself for falling under the spell.

"These people are far more dangerous than we thought," Seventeen said. "I'm no exhibitionist, but I'd have done _anything_ she said, right here in front of all of you, and I wouldn't have given a damn. We have to be more careful."

"But how do we fight it?" Leelee asked. "She didn't touch us or anything! We just walked in and BAM! There was nothing for it."

"We're going to have to keep our heads clear," Piccolo answered. "Now that we're expecting it, we can resist."

"Catie?" Lindsey asked softly, walking to her friend.

Angry tears were burning Catie's eyes. The logical side of her brain told her that Trunks couldn't stop himself, that she would have done the exact same thing. But the emotional side of her brain was hating him. And that side was winning out. She wanted to scream and strangle him with the red silk she was holding.

Lindsey placed her hand on Catie's shoulder, but Catie shoved it away. "Just leave me alone," she said through gritted teeth.

Lindsey let her hand fall to her side and stared sadly at her friend.

"How the hell do we get out of here?" Sabriena demanded. "I'm about sick of this place already."

"We haven't been here that long," Seventeen sighed.

"Yeah, well excuse me if I'm a bit gun-shy," Sabriena stated. "May I remind you, I _died_ the last time I was here."

Seventeen tipped his head to the side. "Oh yeah. Forgot about that."

She narrowed her eyes. "You forgot I died to save your girlfriend," she deadpanned. "Really?"

"That was awhile ago," he said defensively.

"A little more than a year!" she shot back. "Honestly, I don't know why I put up with any of you!"

"Knock it off," Vegeta barked. "Come on. We're getting out of here." As everyone else was arguing, he'd been walking the perimeter of the room, searching for a door. Hidden in the shadows, he'd found one only about waist-high. Pulling the door open, he peered inside and saw the passageway was no taller. "We'll have to crawl."

Goku joined Vegeta at his side and knelt down to look inside the dark passage. "I don't see any other option."

"Oh god," Jenny whined softly. She really didn't like tight spaces.

"I'm with you," Piccolo answered her quietly.

She nodded nervously and reached for his hand.

"Catie, we have to go now," Lindsey said.

Catie shook her head.

"Catie, come on," Lindsey insisted, trying to pull on Catie's hand. Catie wrenched it away.

"We don't have time for this," Vegeta growled and marched over to the girls. "Catherine, get your head straight this instant!"

She blinked her dark green eyes at him, a tear spilling down her cheek. "How could he?" she whispered.

Vegeta frowned. "He was under her spell, same as you. Don't you dare blame him. You know better than that. I won't tolerate this."

"But, Vegeta…"

"NO BUTS! Now get your ass in that tunnel and let's finish this! You and Trunks can settle this after we're done here!"

Catie swallowed and nodded, letting the silks slip from her fingers. She crossed the room to where Goku knelt next to the door, dropped to her knees and crawled in first.

Vegeta huffed. "I didn't mean you had to go first."

"To hell with it!" her voice echoed back to him from the dark passageway. "Now get _your_ ass in here!"

Goku laughed. "You asked for that one, Vegeta."

Vegeta snorted and marched forward, following Catie.


	13. Eat Your Heart Out

The cold stone floor was hard on Catie's hands and knees as she crawled through the dark passageway. On and on it seemed to stretch as she slowly made her way, followed closely by the Z-Fighters. She was grateful for the darkness; no one could see the angry tears that were burning her eyes. Her heart was breaking, shattering into a millions pieces. What if Trunks was still under Mohini's spell? Gut-wrenching images filtered through Catie's mind as she imagined him with the beautiful temptress, kissing her, holding her… Catie wanted to scream. How could he betray her like that? She'd never felt such jealousy and heartache. She was going to help rescue Paige, and then maybe she'd think about finding Trunks. And God help him when she did.

The delicious smell of food wafted down the passage. Catie wondered if they were perhaps heading towards a kitchen. The smell was kind of making her sick to her stomach.

"Oh man, that's making me hungry!" Goku's voice broke through the darkness.

"Daaaaaad," Lindsey whined.

"What? I can't help it!"

Gohan secretly agreed with his dad, but he wasn't sure he wanted to eat anything that the people in this place may offer. On the other hand, if they found themselves in an unattended kitchen with food lying about, would it really hurt to snag a bite as they went through? He was irritated with himself at the thought and cursed his Saiyan genes for his voracious appetite, but the smell drifting down the passage was overwhelmingly tempting.

"Can you see anything?" Vegeta asked quietly.

"Not yet," Catie answered.

They continued to crawl through the darkness, trying to ignore the aching in their knees. Sabriena, however, wasn't handling it so well.

"My knees hurt," she whined.

"Mine too," Lindsey admitted. "Just keep going."

There was a muffled slap and Sabriena said, "I can't."

"OUCH!" Leelee shouted. She hadn't been able to see Sabriena stop and her head smacked against Sabriena's.

"You're slowing us up," Piccolo growled.

"C'mon, Subbie," Lindsey said. "It can't be much further."

Sabriena whimpered.

"Think about Tumbler," Lindsey said.

There was a deep sigh and Sabriena said, "Okay."

After several more minutes, Catie finally said, "I can see light!"

Encouraged by the prospect of getting up off the floor, they crawled faster, finally exiting the passage. Catie pushed herself to her feet and quickly wiped her eyes, erasing any trace of the betrayal and hurt she felt.

"Let me see," Seventeen said kindly as he helped Leelee to her feet. He took her face gingerly in his hands and peered at her forehead. "Damn, that's a big goose-egg."

She carefully touched the lump on her head with her fingertips, wincing in pain as she did so. "Owww."

He kissed her forehead lightly. "All better."

She snorted. "You're so silly."

"Oh wow," Goku said, his eyes wide. "Look at all that food!"

They followed Goku's gaze to a huge table, laden with mountains of food. Ornate chairs sat around the table, each with elaborate place settings. The room was well lit and inviting, smaller than the other rooms had been, but beautifully decorated. A chandelier was suspended over the table with dozens of dripping white candles.

"Why hello," came a woman's voice. She stepped out from behind the table, smiling at them. She was very heavy set with green skin and even darker green hair, but she had a pretty face. She wore a long dress in muted tones of green.

"And who are you?" Vegeta demanded.

She continued to smile welcomingly at him. "I am Edesia. I oversee all the banquets and dinners here in Sigourney's castle. Only the finest foods enter this place. Come, sit with me, enjoy a meal."

"We're not eating anything you're serving, lady," Catie snapped. She had absolutely no appetite at the moment. In fact, the thought of ever eating again made her stomach twist up in knots.

"You have traveled a long way," Edesia said. "And you have fought a hard battle to come this far. Surely you must be hungry?"

"We could have a bite, couldn't we guys?" Goku asked. "She seems nicer than the other people we've met."

"Kakarot, surely you jest," Vegeta growled.

"Goku, don't trust any of these people," Piccolo added.

"You trust Enye, do you not?" Edesia asked.

"Where is she?" Catie asked angrily. If Enye were with them, possibly she could have helped them find a way out of this stupid game.

"She's a bit… tied up at the moment," Edesia answered. "But she used to love my cooking. She would spend hours at this table."

"She also used to work for Kamahina," Piccolo stated. "I don't exactly trust her judgment."

"How do we get out of here?" Jenny asked, stepping forward. "We don't want any trouble. We're just trying to get through this place."

Edesia gestured to a door on the other side of the room. "It will take you to the next challenge."

"We don't have to do anything special?" Jenny asked skeptically. "No monsters to fight? No near-naked sluts to distract us?"

Edesia shook her head slowly. "Not a one. I am simply here to offer you food and drink. A moment to rest before your next challenge. The next part of the game is not an easy one."

"What's behind that door?" Piccolo asked.

"Oh dear, I'm afraid I'm not allowed to say," she answered. "But trust me, you'll regret it if you don't have something to eat. You really are going to need to keep your strength up."

"See guys? If there's no challenge here, why can't we eat something?" Goku said again.

"Do you always have to think with your stomach?" Piccolo asked, throwing Goku a harsh look.

Goku looked slightly ashamed, but he edged closer to the table. All of his favorite foods were there and his stomach growled again.

"Come on, let's go," Piccolo said, falling into step behind Jenny who was already striding across the room towards the door.

"We don't know what's in there," Lindsey protested. She turned to Edesia. "Couldn't you tell us, please, what we're up against?" She hoped that by being polite she might change the woman's mind.

Edesia shook her head. "I'm sorry, dear. I'd like to help you, but it's not worth my life."

"Yes, your queen does have a habit of locking people away who speak out against her, doesn't she?" Piccolo said as he and Jenny stood near the door.

Edesia narrowed her eyes slightly. "What was that?"

"You all locked Enye away like an animal!" Catie spat. "You know, the girl you claim spent so much time here with you? She had the guts to stand up to that horrible woman you serve and you all just let her rot in a cell!"

"Tis the cost of turning traitor," Edesia answered. "And I don't fancy the dungeons."

"Can't say I blame you," Gohan said darkly. "It's miserable down there."

Edesia turned to look at him, recognition dawning on her face. "I remember you. I saw you there once when I was taking food to the guards."

Gohan nodded. "That place is horrible. And you just stand by and let them do that to Enye. I thought she was one of your people. How can you sleep at night?"

"No one sleeps in this place," Edesia answered in a haunting whisper, locking a fierce look on Gohan.

"Come on, we're wasting time here," Piccolo said, reaching for the doorknob.

The others crossed the room to follow Jenny and Piccolo through the door, when Gohan suddenly shouted, "DAD! NO!"

It was too late. Far too tempted by the delicacies that covered the table, Goku had picked up a slice of chocolate cake and bit into it.

"What?" he asked with his mouth full, turning to his son. He swallowed. "See? I'm fine!" He took a second bite of the mouth-watering cake he held in his hand.

Edesia smiled wickedly as the light in the room seemed to dim.

"What's going on?" Lindsey asked, looking up at the chandelier that had blown out.

Goku screamed in fright, drawing everyone's attention again. The cake in his hand seemed to move as dozens of tiny roaches crawled from its center. He flung it away from him, brushing at his hand and arm as the little bugs crawled over his skin. Everything on the table was rotten. Mice scurried here and there, nibbling at the food and squeaking noisily. Maggots dripped from rotted meats, the smell of mold and decay replaced the scent of gourmet food.

Edesia herself was rotting and thinning, her skin turning a rotted greenish-gray, her eyes shriveling until her there was nothing but hollow sockets in her skull. She was skeletal, her skin peeling up in chunks, her face stretched taunt over her skull with sunken cheeks. "You're mine," she hissed at Goku in a dry, cracking voice. She smelled of death.

His own hand was turning the same green-gray as Edesia. His lips cracked as his face began to gray, spreading outward from his mouth as he shouted in shock.

"Kakarot, you fool!" Vegeta shouted.

"DAD!" Gohan yelled and ran for his father. But before he could reach him, Edesia snapped her boney fingers and Goku vanished before their eyes.

"NOOOOO!" Gohan screamed, staring at the place where his father disappeared. "I'll kill you!" he shouted at Edesia and ran towards her. Just as he grabbed her around her sickly thin throat, she gave one more wicked grin and turned to ash in his hands.

Gohan stared in disbelief at the ash smudges on his palms. "DAMMIT."

"Quit falling for their tricks!" Sabriena shouted at the others as they stood stock-still, gaping in shock. "Jesus, what's wrong with you all?! First Trunks and now him? Do you Saiyans ever THINK?!"

Vegeta scowled at her.

Stepping closer to Gohan, Lindsey gently touched his elbow. "Honey?"

Angry tears were burning his eyes as he turned to his wife. "This is beyond personal now."

She nodded sadly. "Come on. We've got to get through these challenges so we can get Paige back. Then we'll find Dad and Trunks."

Catie huffed. "Trunks. Hmph."

Lindsey blinked questioningly at her friend. She understood that Catie was upset, but wanting to leave Trunks behind in a place like this? Catie was taking this much harder than Lindsey had realized. She didn't understand – they all knew why Trunks had done what he'd done. But then, she supposed she'd be furious, too, if it had been Gohan that had kissed Mohini.

"Let's hurry," Gohan said. "I don't like the thought of either of them being in that dungeon."

With a nod, Piccolo opened the door, stepping ahead of Jenny to shield her from whatever was waiting for them.

* * *

Trunks awoke to a loud clang and the sound of screaming. He was lying on a rather hard bed, pressed up against a stone wall.

"Oh, stoppit. You're fine," Edesia hissed at him, her figure heavy again. She stared at him through the black iron bars of the cell which seemed to give off a soft purple glow.

Goku blinked and looked at his hands that were once again intact and normal colored. There were no bugs. No horrible taste in his throat. "I don't understand," he said.

"Well you didn't expect me to get you down here when you were at your full power, did you?" she asked in an impatient sort of way. "I had to distract you."

"It was a trick?" Goku asked, looking angry.

"An illusion, yes," she smiled. "And don't waste your energy trying to get out of here. These bars are enchanted. They're impenetrable." And with that, she vanished.

"Goku, where are we?" Trunks asked.

Goku spun on his heel. "Trunks! You're okay!"

"Yeah, I'm all right," Trunks answered, sitting up and throwing his legs over the edge of the bed.

"And you're naked," Goku stated.

Trunks looked down at himself and gasped, grabbing the raggedy blanket and pulling it to cover his body. "What the hell?!"

Goku looked down at himself as if to make sure he was dressed. "Hey, I've got my old clothes back! And they're DRY."

"Lucky for you," Trunks hissed, looking around the cell. To his relief, he found his old clothing as well, dry and folded neatly at the foot of his bed. He quickly pulled his clothes on, trying to figure out what happened.

"What happened to you?" Goku asked as Trunks pulled his black shirt over his head.

"I don't know," Trunks answered, his brow furrowed in concentration. He remembered Mohini, and kissing her… Hazy images came to his mind. A luxurious bed. Mohini lying on it, moaning his name. His own body lying across hers, kissing her, running his hands over her… "OH MY GOD."

"Trunks?" Goku asked in a concerned voice, leaning closer to the younger man. "What's wrong?"

"GOKU, I HAD SEX WITH THAT WOMAN!"

Goku's jaw dropped as Trunks fell to the floor, pressing the heels of his hands to his forehead, trying to will the memory away. Panic gripped him as he began to gasp for air, nearly hyperventilating as the realization hit him. It was coming back strong now in vivid detail. He remembered every moment he'd spent with her, how he'd given in to his temptation without a second thought. He suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous.

"Trunks, you didn't!" Goku protested. "Please tell me you just had a bad dream."

Trunks stared up at Goku from his position on the floor. "Then why the hell did I end up passed out and naked in a cell?"

"Well, I ate food that made me start to rot from the inside out just a few minutes ago. You heard her – it was only an illusion. Maybe what you're remembering is an illusion too! As soon as I got here, I was back to normal," Goku grinned. "I bet you're just imagining it."

Trunks' heart leapt. "You think?" Oh please, let it be true. He wished there was a way to know for sure if it had happened or if it had been all in his head. "Wait," Trunks said, getting to his feet again, "You said as soon as you got here, the stuff you thought was happening to you vanished, right?"

Goku nodded. "Mm-hmm."

"Check my back," Trunks said.

"What?"

"She was scratching at my back," Trunks explained, turning his back to Goku. "If it was an illusion, there shouldn't be any marks on my back."

"Ah, I gotcha," Goku said, stepping forward and lifting the back of Trunks' shirt. Goku's stomach turned to ice as he saw dozens of long, dark pink welts along Trunks' back. He touched one with his fingers to make sure they were real. The marks were raised and felt hot on Goku's fingers. "Oh gosh, Trunks," he said sadly.

"What?" Trunks asked in alarm. His own hand flew back to touch the marks and his eyes went wide as he felt them. "No. Oh god, no." He reached over his shoulders and pulled up the back of his shirt more, trying to twist around and look at his own back. He spun around to face Goku, who looked sad and apologetic as though he was sorry he had to be the one to tell Trunks.

"I don't think it was a dream, Trunks," Goku said softly.

Trunks was struggling to breathe. Catie would never forgive him for this. He was going to lose her. He shook his head violently, his mind racing to figure out how to deal with this. He'd been under Mohini's spell; he hadn't meant to do it. If he hadn't been enchanted, he would never have betrayed Catie. Not in a million years would he do that to her. But would she believe him? 'No,' he thought sadly to himself. Catie was far too strong-willed to buy a lame excuse like that, whether it was true or not. After everything he'd lost in his life, he didn't know if he could handle the disappointment of losing Catie. He couldn't imagine his life without her now. She brought so much joy and fun into his life. And he had really enjoyed meeting her family and got along well with them, too. He had so many plans for their future and now it was like he was watching all his dreams go up in smoke. He felt sick.

"Tell me this isn't happening," Trunks begged in a quiet voice to no one in particular.

"You were under a spell," Goku reasoned. "You couldn't stop yourself."

"We can't tell Catie," Trunks breathed. His bright blue eyes locked on Goku's. "Please, Goku, promise me you won't tell her."

Goku blinked in surprise. "Gosh, Trunks, do you really think you can keep something like that from her?"

"She'll never forgive me," he answered. "I can't tell her. I just can't!"

Goku swallowed. "It's not my place to tell her. That's up to you. I promise I won't say anything."

Trunks heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Goku."

"But you're going to have to tell her at some point," Goku added. "You can't just lie about it forever. You've seen first hand what keeping secrets like this can do to a person."

"Lindsey's situation was different," Trunks stated flatly.

"I know that. I'm talking about the guilt of keeping a secret from someone you love. You didn't see her when she was facing the thought of coming clean to Gohan about everything. I spent weeks working with her. It still eats at her, even though Gohan forgave her. She's told me so. The guilt will eat you alive, Trunks. You're not the kind of person who does this sort of thing and you're not the kind of person who could go on keeping it to yourself."

Trunks narrowed his eyes. "I'll do anything to protect Catie from my mistakes."

Goku sighed. "Your call. Like I said, it's not my place to say anything."

"Thank you," Trunks said again and sat down on the bunk, staring miserably at his shoes, wondering how in the world he ever got himself into this mess in the first place.


	14. Asterion

Jenny was feeling guilty as she yanked open the door to the next challenge. She knew it wasn't her fault, yet because they had agreed to help rescue her child, Goku and Trunks now found themselves captive as well. She cast a nervous eye at Catie, who had fallen into step beside her as they walked the long, torch-lit corridor. Catie's jaw was set and her eyes stared firmly ahead.

"You mad at me?" Jenny whispered quietly.

Catie looked at her without breaking stride. "No."

"I wouldn't blame you if you were," Jenny admitted.

Catie cocked an eyebrow. "Jenny, don't be stupid. I have no reason to be mad at you."

Jenny shrugged. Without Trunks and Goku, she was starting to get nervous. The last time they were in this castle, it had been the Saiyans that won the fight. Now, they were two down.

Catie seemed to sense Jenny's dwindling hope and linked arms with her, pulling Jenny closer, locking her to her side. "Now you listen," Catie said in a soft tone as they continued to march down the corridor. "You don't worry about what Trunks did. He did that – not you."

"But it's because you all are helping me that it happened," Jenny muttered.

Catie shook her head firmly. "I didn't see anyone else jumping into that woman's arms. Just like I didn't see Vegeta or Gohan stopping to eat off that table, but Goku did. I think he could have stopped himself."

Jenny shook her head. "I dunno," she said uncertainly. "I think any of us would have done it."

"That's not what's important right now anyway," Catie said, tossing her blue-streaked hair over her shoulder and setting her jaw again. "All that matters to me is helping you. You're my sister, Jenny."

It was Jenny's turn to raise an eyebrow.

Catie sighed good-naturedly. "C'mon, you know it. All those months living together at Capsule Corp, training under Vegeta… We're sisters now and you know it, like it or not."

A small smile pulled at Jenny's lips. "I suppose there are worse people I could have for a sibling."

Catie nodded sagely. "You could have that hot mess walking behind us as a sister."

Jenny and Catie looked over their shoulders at Lindsey, who stuck her tongue out at them. "I heard that."

"So what are you gonna do about it?" Catie challenged, turning to face Lindsey. She walked backwards, still maintaining pace with Jenny.

"Kick your ass," Lindsey quipped.

Catie smirked. "Gotta catch me first." She turned on her heel and sprinted down the corridor.

"Catie! Come back!" Jenny shouted.

Lindsey tore out after her friend and they both disappeared into the dim lighting ahead.

"Dammit, you two!" Jenny yelled, running after them.

"Jenny, don't!" Piccolo shouted, but it was too late. She disappeared into the darkness as well.

He huffed and walked faster.

"They won't get far," Vegeta said.

It felt good to run. Catie pushed herself harder, impressed with herself that she was able to run in the high-heeled boots. The dark green corset made her breathing labored, but she didn't care. She felt as though she could run forever. She blinked away the burning sensation in her eyes and pushed Trunks from her mind. Now that she was running, she didn't want to stop. She felt freer, running like this, as though she was running away from the mental image of him. God, it hurt. She stretched her legs further, running as hard as she could, her boots slapping the stones noisily as she ran. She skidded to a halt at the end of the corridor, nearly slamming into thick, wrought iron bars that blocked the entrance. She hadn't realized it as she ran, but the ceiling had become much higher. The entrance to the next chamber was massive and the bars covering it were as thick as saplings.

"What… is that… smell?" Lindsey gasped, walking forward and clutching a stitch in her side. She may have been in good shape from her training with Goku, but she was still no match for Catie.

The clopping of heels told them Jenny was drawing closer. She finally caught up to them, her hands on her hips, and narrowed her eyes. "Shame on you two, scaring me like that. You don't know what you're running into!"

"Oh come on, _mom_," Catie huffed.

Jenny stepped forward to inspect the bars. "Good grief, these are huge."

"Yeah," Catie grunted, sliding between the bars. "But not very affective at keeping us out, are they?" She squeezed the rest of the way through and grinned.

"Uh, Cat," Lindsey said nervously. "I don't think they're there to keep us out."

"Huh?" Catie blinked.

Lindsey was pointing at something behind Catie, her hand shaking, and Jenny backed up a few steps, looking terrified.

"I think they're to keep that IN!" Lindsey cried.

Catie turned and let out a blood-curdling scream.

* * *

"That's Catie!" Leelee cried as Catie's scream echoed back to them.

"Catie! Catie!" came Lindsey and Jenny's terrified voices.

Without hesitation, the other Z-Fighters sprinted down the corridor after the muffled screams.

Lindsey and Jenny had slipped through the bars, trying desperately to get to Catie.

Lindsey's voice cracked as she spoke. "Oh my god, Jenny, what do we do?"

"PUT ME DOWN!" Catie screamed.

Jenny stared up in horror at the thirty-foot tall minotaur that held Catie in his grasp. The smell in this chamber was unfathomable. The air was thick and putrid with the scent of rotting flesh and feces. The floor was slick and red.

"Jenny," Lindsey whispered in horror, tugging at Jenny's elbow. Jenny followed Lindsey's gaze. It felt like she'd swallowed a block of ice. The edges of this huge chamber were piled with broken and rotting bones, most of which looked human. Bits of clothing and flesh still clung to some of the bones.

"That explains the smell," Jenny said, trying very hard to not breathe too deeply.

"LET GO OF ME!" Catie demanded, powering up. Her hair turned a shocking emerald green as she fanned her fingers out, aiming an energy attack at the bull-headed monstrosity that held her in one fist. She hit it squarely in one eye and he released his grip on her, dropping her back to the stone floor, where she crumpled to the floor.

"Cat!" Lindsey cried.

"Ewwwww," Catie groaned, getting to her feet and looking at the sticky, thick blood that now covered the right side of her body. "Don't they muck this room out?"

The minotaur was bellowing in rage and pain, stomping about with his hands over one eye, his huge feet causing the muck on the floor to splatter.

"How do we get out?!" Jenny shouted.

Catie was scrambling away from the massive feet that had come dangerously close to stomping on her.

All three girls dove away from the bars as the minotaur stumbled backwards towards them. He rubbed his right eye, then pulled his hand away, blinking harshly, and snorted in anger.

"I think you pissed it off," Lindsey said quietly.

"JENNY!" Piccolo shouted as he and the others reached the bars.

The minotaur looked down at them, anger blazing in his red eyes, and he bent over and roared through the bars, spraying them with saliva.

"Ew. Ew ew ew ew ew!" Sabriena cried dancing around like an idiot, trying to fling the spit away.

The minotaur seemed more agitated by her shrieking and pulled back, then rammed his horns against the bars, rattling the entire room and corridor.

"Would you shut up?" Vegeta hissed.

"Hey! Yoo-hoo! Over here!" Lindsey suddenly shouted.

The minotaur turned to look for the sound.

Lindsey was hovering at eye-level to the bull, her hair dancing in flames about her shoulders, the light glimmering on her vibrant red corset. "Come at me," she growled in a voice that was heard to no one but herself.

"Lindsey, NO!" Gohan shouted.

The minotaur paid the half-Saiyan no mind as he charged towards the enraging red light. Lindsey dodged out of his way as the bull's head made contact with the stone wall behind her. Pieces of stone and mortar crumbled from the wall, raining down on the half-eaten bodies of the dead.

Gohan was struggling to get through the bars, as were Piccolo and Vegeta, but Leelee, Seventeen and Sabriena slipped through them quickly, due to their smaller frames.

Catie and Jenny were frantically searching the walls of the room, tripping over rotting corpses, looking for a way out of the room. The smell was overwhelming and more than once, they had to stop and hold their breath to keep from throwing up.

"KAMEHAMEHAAA!" Gohan shouted once he'd squeezed through the bars, aiming the blast directly at the center of the minotaur's back. The powerful energy wave ricocheted off the beast, slamming into a wall and crumbling more stone.

The half-man, half-bull creature turned towards Gohan, who laughed nervously. "Oh man."

Bellowing in anger, the minotaur raised his foot to stomp on what he considered a pest. Gohan dove out of the way quickly, his mind racing. Soon everyone was jumping, running and dodging the bull's stomps as he spun on the spot, slamming his gigantic feet down over and over, trying to squash them. They were never going to find the exit if the minotaur kept this up. A sudden idea came to Gohan. He didn't like it, but he couldn't see how else they could distract the monster.

"Lindsey! Power up again and distract him!" Gohan shouted.

Lindsey nodded to her husband, rising into the air and powering up once more. "Aye, Toro! Aye!" she shouted. The bull lost his interest in the people on the ground and charged her once more, slamming his horns into the brick wall as she dropped out of its way.

"There's got to be a way out of this place," Piccolo growled to Gohan. The room was fairly well lit, but there wasn't the outline of a door anywhere.

"Find the dooooor," Lindsey said in a shaking voice as she once again dived out of the way of the monstrous horns.

"We're looking! We're looking!" Jenny called back in a similar tone, nearly twisting her ankle as she stepped on a skull that rolled out from under her shoe. She paused momentarily to stare at it and had to choke back a scream as she realized that the skull had belonged to a small child. She took a shuddering breath and looked away, returning her attention to the wall in front of her.

"I can't find anything!" Leelee wailed as she joined their search. She slapped her palms against the stone walls as she worked her way around, hoping to possibly find a hidden trigger or stone that may open up a new passage.

"Hurry-y-y-y," Lindsey begged again, narrowing avoiding the minotaur's charge.

"There it is!" Piccolo suddenly shouted, pointing to the center of the room. Beneath the minotaur's feet was a small trap door in the floor.

The minotaur turned to look at Piccolo, narrowing his red eyes at the Namek. It may not have the capacity to speak, or even understand their language, but it understood the excited tone in Piccolo's voice and the way he pointed to the door.

It stood shivering in anger, his breaths coming out in heavy snorts. Trumpeting like an enraged elephant the bull started for Piccolo.

"AYE TORO!" Lindsey shouted again, lashing out with one of her fire whips, wrapping the end of it around the ring through the bull's nose.

His head whipped around and glared at Lindsey. She was really getting to the creature. He ran at her again, leveling his horns with the place where she hovered, and slammed the crown of his horns against the stone again.

Piccolo had a sudden idea. "Catie! Trip him up on my signal!"

She turned and looked at Piccolo, nodding to him.

"Lindsey! Get him to aim right here!" Piccolo shouted, pointing high on the wall, directly above his head.

Lindsey flew across the room and pressed her back against the stone in the place he had indicated, breathing hard. She didn't know what Piccolo's plan was, but she was grateful he at least had one. She let out a loud whistle and the bull turned to her once more. He lowered his horns one more time, aiming for the place where she hovered. With determination, he took a few running steps towards her.

"NOW CATIE!" Piccolo ordered.

Catie threw both of her arms out; thick, bark-covered vines shot from her arms and tangled around the minotaur's ankles. The bull continued to launch forward as Lindsey once more slipped past his horns. Focusing all his energy into his hands, Piccolo laced his fingers together and slammed his clenched fists against the stone at the exact moment the minotaur slammed his head against the wall. Deep cracks ran up the walls and Piccolo flew out of the way. Huge blocks of stone fell away from the wall as the minotaur slipped to the floor, crushing the monster beneath their weight. The minotaur's feet and tail twitched for a few moments, then went still.

Lindsey dropped to the floor, powering down, breathing heavily as Gohan and Catie ran to her.

"Nice work, girls," Vegeta said to them.

"You okay?" Gohan asked, looking her over carefully.

"Yeah," Lindsey panted. "He didn't get me."

"Good job," Gohan breathed, wrapping her in a hug.

"Can we please get out of here?" Jenny asked shakily as she stumbled over more bones to get away from the wall.

"Are you all right?" Piccolo asked her in a quiet voice.

"Just shook up," she answered honestly. "I don't like this place at all."

"Don't you three _ever _go running off like that again," Piccolo scolded, giving Jenny a stern look and then turning towards Catie and Lindsey, who winced as he looked at them the same way.

Seventeen reached through the blood and muck to pull open the trap door. "Gross," he groaned, looking at his hand.

"Don't you dare touch me," Leelee warned, crossing her arms across her smoky gray corset.

"Even I'm not that cruel," Seventeen answered.

Vegeta stepped closer to the trap door and peered inside it, sighing as he did so. "You'd think they could light this place better."

"Light," Sabriena whispered. Why it had slipped her mind, she didn't know. It had been so long, though, she didn't know if she could do it anymore. Concentrating hard, she managed to power up, throwing a brilliant light around the room as her hair and eyes glowed brightly.

"You couldn't have done that before?" Vegeta growled as he looked deep into the trap door again.

Gohan joined him at his side. "It looks like it goes straight down."

Vegeta nodded.

"Please clean me off," Catie gagged, walking to Jenny.

"No problem," Jenny answered, holding her hand out and letting a steady, but gentle stream of water fall from her hand and cascade over Catie's shoulder and Catie frantically scrubbed away at her skin.

"Me too?" Seventeen asked, holding out his dirty hand.

Jenny rinsed his hand and he muttered, "Thanks."

Leelee once again blew Catie dry, although Lindsey protested that the wind was stirring up the smell in the room even worse.

"Oh hush," Catie scolded. She looked down at herself, amazed that her clothing wasn't stained.

"Ladies, first, is it?" Vegeta asked, motioning towards the door. "You're all so eager to meet your deaths."

Lindsey bowed her head sheepishly, but Catie strode forward and answered, "YOU go first this time."

"You're getting bossy and I don't like it," Vegeta growled. "You've spent too much time with Bulma." But he stepped into mid-air and began to lower quickly into the tunnel.

"I wish she was here, she'd keep you in line," Catie mumbled.

Vegeta's voice echoed up to them. "I HEARD THAT."

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you Jenny, Rinpup, and Princess for reviewing my chapters! It means a lot to me!


	15. All Tied Up

The drop to the next room didn't take very long. They opened a slender door and found themselves in a paneled, circular room. The panels alternated between black and purple, with silver trim between each panel. The floor and ceiling were each a singular mirror-like sheet of silver.

"That's not a very flattering angle," Leelee muttered as she looked at the floor and crossed her legs tightly.

Seventeen stepped closer to her and purred in her ear, "I like it."

Leelee's mind was lost in thoughts of her and Seventeen alone in a room where the floor and ceiling were mirrors. Her eyes went wide and her knees went weak for a moment.

Piccolo shook his head at Seventeen's whispered words.

"Can we put a mirror on the ceiling in your apartment when we get home?" Leelee whispered back, her lips brushing his ear as she spoke.

Seventeen gave her a devilish grin and nodded. "Best. Idea. Ever."

She giggled and he continued, "Can you just imagine watching ourselves as we…"

"Anyway," Piccolo said loudly, interrupting their conversation that only he had heard, "how do we get through this one?"

"I bet one of the panels opens up," Gohan said thoughtfully.

"What a clever one you are," said a soft voice as one of the panels cracked open. A young woman stepped through, smiling at them, and clicked the panel shut behind her.

On first impulse, they thought it was Nyx. But this girl wore a black and purple striped corset and had extremely long, pale pink hair. It was so long, in fact, it dragged the ground and pooled at her feet.

"Looks like we have Rapunzel on crack here," Catie sneered.

"Hybris," the young girl corrected her.

Catie wanted to assume she could take this girl no problem. She stood at least a head taller than Hybris, even with the ridiculously tall purple boots the girl wore. But size and strength weren't the challenge here, and Catie knew it.

"Out of my way," Vegeta snarled and started to march across the room towards the panel she had exited from.

"Ah ah ah!" she chided and snapped her fingers. The panels of the room began to spin and Vegeta quickly lost track of which one she had come through.

"Damn," he muttered, narrowing his eyes at her.

Hybris' petite frame stepped confidently into the center of the room, her violet eyes flashing as she smirked at them. The walls of the room spun faster and faster.

"Uh, guys," Sabriena said nervously. "Guys?!" She was suddenly swept off her feet and flew backwards against the wall, slamming against a panel as it spun.

The centrifugal force of the spinning walls was pulling at them, drawing them backwards from the girl who stood, unharmed, in the center of the room. Despite the swirling wind that pulled at them, not so much as a hair on her head seemed to stir.

"AGH!" Lindsey screamed as she was pulled off her feet and her back slammed against a panel, locking her there. Her friends in the center of the room were a blur to her eyes, but the panel directly across from her seemed still. She could see Sabriena locked against the wall, several panels to her right.

Jenny grabbed Piccolo's elbow, trying to keep her feet on the floor. He was leaning hard against the pull of the wall, but his feet were slipping. Damn those shoes. Catie and Seventeen flew backwards, their back pressed against the wall.

"Well this is fun," Seventeen stated in a bored tone.

Catie rolled her eyes at him.

Leelee had powered up and was pressing out against the pull of the walls with her own wind. Her thin braids of hair had turned to smoke-like ropes that swirled around her face and her dark brown eyes were a silver gray as she stared at Hybris, all of her energy focused on resisting those walls.

Gohan felt his feet slip and he fell, the force knocking him into Piccolo and Jenny; all three of them were sucked against the walls.

"Klutz," Jenny grumbled at Gohan.

Gohan tried to push off of the wall, but it plastered him to the panels. "Effing stupid," he muttered.

Only Leelee and Vegeta still stood.

Hybris narrowed her eyes at Leelee. "Knock it off," she said, grabbing a thick lock of her hair. She lashed out with it, catching Leelee in the stomach, and Leelee was shocked at the weight of it as it threw her off her feet and she found herself stuck to a panel.

Vegeta was leaning forward, fighting the pull of the walls when Hybris snapped her fingers again and he stumbled forward. The walls continued to spin, but they lost their pull on him alone.

She smiled wickedly at him.

"Big mistake," he said in a dangerously soft voice and transformed into a super Saiyan.

"Oh, is that so, Prince Vegeta?" she drawled lazily. She smiled at his shocked expression. "Yes, I know who you are. And I am not afraid of you."

"Then you're a fool," Vegeta spat.

"Attack me, then," she challenged, squaring her shoulders at him.

Vegeta flew at the small girl and she threw her arms up, blocking his punch with her forearms. She jumped in the air and spun, landing a kick between his shoulder blades that sent him sprawling across the mirrored floor. With a growl, he shoved himself to his feet and attacked again.

Jenny was desperately trying to watch the fight between Vegeta and Hybris, but she couldn't focus. The walls were simply spinning too fast. She soon found herself dizzy with only brief glimpses of the monumental battle. Vegeta landed a knee to Hybris' ribs… She retaliated with a punch to his jaw… Jenny's stomach was twisting with dizziness and she began to feel light headed. She turned her head to the side and breathed deeply, closing her eyes. She didn't want to fathom the embarrassment she would feel if she got sick all over her friends.

"Some prince you are," Hybris' voice taunted.

Vegeta wiped the corner of his mouth with his fist, rubbing away the blood that trickled from a split in his lip. He was so sick of everyone mocking his royal title. The constant disrespect, the open sneering, the taunting of his lineage… he wouldn't stand for it any more. They were lucky that they were even allowed to be in his presence. He straightened up and smirked. "You're asking for it, little girl."

She snorted. "I told them I wanted to fight Goku," she sneered. "I wanted a challenge. And instead, they left me you."

He narrowed his eyes. "That low-class clown? HA! He didn't even fight at all! Coward."

"Coward, huh?" she asked, examining her nails. "Then how come you have yet to defeat him? From what I hear, you and Goku haven't fought in a very long time. And the last time you fought, he spanked your ass. Sounds to me like you're the coward."

"Enough of this talk!" Vegeta shouted. He rushed her again and she reached out with one well-manicured hand and backhanded him across the room.

Vegeta gasped for air as he lay on his back, staring up at his reflection in the ceiling. What was happening? No, he would not be defeated by a girl – especially not a tiny one like Hybris. The humiliating part was that she didn't appear as if she was using magick. She simply was that strong. He rolled backwards, pulling his knees to his chest and then kicked out, using the momentum to flip himself back onto his feet. He fired an energy blast at her, which she nonchalantly caught with one hand and flicked it back at him, never looking away from her fingernails. He jumped aside as the blast hit the floor exactly where he had been standing. Anger and pride swelling within him, Vegeta attacked the young female once more.

He threw every move he had at her. Punches and kicks that would have sent even Goku flying, she simply blocked with a flick of her wrist or a lift of her knee. She wouldn't even look at him!

After several long minutes, Vegeta hunched over, his hands pressing against his knees, trying to catch his breath. Finally, Hybris looked up at him. "Are you done?"

"HA," Vegeta laughed. "Don't you wish?"

She rolled her eyes and yawned, patting her lips as she did so. "I think it's my turn."

Vegeta's eyes widened as she flew at him, kicking him in the stomach and doubling him over in pain. She grabbed him by the hair at the back of his skull and leaned close. "Poor little princess needs saving, huh?"

With a scream of rage, Vegeta flung Hybris away from him. She tottered backwards on her heels, then regained her balance and laughed. "You caught me off guard!" she giggled.

He narrowed his eyes once more. He hadn't shoved her that hard, not nearly as hard as he had been punching her anyway, and she nearly fell over? She wasn't that strong. She was using that damned magick somehow.

Her eyes sparkled at him as though she knew he'd figured out her secret. A purple energy glistened briefly over her flawless skin as if to taunt him into attacking her again. It was a shield of magick she'd conjured around herself that danced across her body, making her impervious to his attacks.

Vegeta growled again, his mind working furiously as he looked for a weak point. She'd dropped her guard once when she thought he was giving in. Would she make the same mistake twice? He flew at her once more, prepared for her counter strike, and let out a dramatic, but convincing heave of pain as she flung him away. He landed flat on his back and closed his eyes, dropping his power level and allowing his hair to return to its normal inky black spikes.

"NO!" Catie shouted, once again struggling against the pull of the walls. "DAD! NO!"

Jenny opened her eyes and with a great effort pulled her face around, trying to see Vegeta. She saw the dark blur of a figure on the ground and a light pink figure looming over it. A panic gripped her chest. Not Vegeta, too. It hurt enough losing Trunks to that wretched woman, but Vegeta? "Get up!" she shouted. "Vegeta, get up!"

Hybris stepped closer, nudging Vegeta with the toe of her dark purple boots. She smirked triumphantly as his body jostled against her prodding and she looked up at the spinning walls of the room. "Look at your prince now!" she shrieked, throwing her head back in a taunting laugh. "Even the strongest of your warriors are no match for us! You should leave now, while you still can."

"I will kill every last one of you with my bare hands," Catie snarled through clenched teeth as she struggled to lean away from the wall. She powered up again, but to no avail. The force of those walls was unrelenting.

"Too bad," Hybris said, using her toe to tip Vegeta's face up towards her. "Such a handsome man." She leaned over to get a better look at him and tsked. "This is the best you can offer?"

Without warning, Vegeta's eyes flew open and he grabbed her ankle as she screamed in surprise. With a crushing grip, he yanked her feet out from under her and stood, never releasing his hold on her. "You're mine," he growled and flung her into the air, rushing ahead and landing a punch to her back, slamming her to the floor chest-first.

Catie let out a cry of joy and Jenny cheered him on.

"Get her, Vegeta!" Seventeen shouted.

Hybris sucked air deeply into her lungs, wincing at the pain in her ribs and back. She willed the magickal barrier around herself again, but the damage had been done. She coughed harshly and spat blood on the floor. She pressed her hands against the floor, rising to stand once again. "Now you've done it," she hissed.

Vegeta smirked. "Done what? Knocked you off your high horse?"

Hybris' eyes turned a dark, stormy purple as she glared at the prince and her hair began to shimmer and writhe on the floor as if it were alive.

"How dare you," she said in a dangerously low voice.

Vegeta took several steps back, eyeing the hair that seemed to grow and slither towards him. The pale pink strands were snaking their way across the floor as she continued to stare at him with an expression of hatred on her face.

"You… are nothing," she hissed, taking a step forward, drawing his attention back to her eyes.

It had been a long time since Vegeta had felt this. Fear was creeping into his system, his hands sweating and heart racing. He hadn't been afraid of her at first, only frustrated by the lack of impact his attacks had on her. But now… that look was haunting. Everything behind her was a whirling dark blur, her eyes darkening to match. He swallowed a hard lump in his throat. Perhaps this magick was more dangerous than he thought. She was truly angered now and he was her target.

He hadn't noticed the pink lock of hair that coiled itself around his ankle. He was swiftly lifted into the air by it and slammed against the silver floor, much like he had done to her. He shouted in surprise and pain, but quickly found himself gagged – more of her hair wound itself around his mouth to silence him.

"Not so tough now, are you?" she asked and grabbed a thick lock of her hair. She lashed out with it, slapping him across the face. It hurt much more than it should have. She slammed him against the ground again and another bunch of her hair wrapped around his other leg. He soon found himself suspended in the air, his wrists and ankles bound in the silky pink strands of her hair.

"Now, I think you should apologize," she said, tipping her head to the side with a wild look in her eyes.

He furrowed his eyebrows at her and felt the bindings tighten over his arms and legs, each of them pulling in a different direction. He felt as though she was trying to tear him literally limb from limb. He tried to pull back, keeping his shoulders from disconnecting, but she pulled stronger again. He tried to yell out, but all that was heard was a muffled scream. Surely his arms were going to give way at any moment. 'What a shitty way to die,' he thought to himself.

Piccolo couldn't see what was happening exactly, but he could hear his muffled groans of pain and could hear Hybris' threatening whispers.

"If it was up to me, I'd rip you to pieces and let you bleed to death right here," Hybris whispered, stepping closer and lowering Vegeta a bit so that they were nose-to-nose. "Lucky for you, I've been given orders to take you alive. I don't know why. You're so disgustingly pathetic. The only way you got to me was with a cheap shot. You're a disappointment to your whole race."

Self-loathing filled Vegeta's veins as Hybris' whispered words rang in his ears. He was humiliated.

"Ready to go, _princess_?" she hissed. She spun suddenly, enveloping both herself and Vegeta in her hair and they vanished.

The walls stopped spinning abruptly, dropping the remaining group to the floor.

"Ouch," Sabriena whined.

"Vegeta!" Jenny shouted and ran to the center of the room, looking around wildly for him.

"He's gone, Jenny," Piccolo said calmly.

Catie choked back a sob. First Trunks and now Vegeta. Not to mention Goku as well. Things were not going according to plan at all and she was liking their chances less and less.

"Let's go," Leelee said and began to walk around the room, pushing, pulling, and prying at each panel, trying to find an exit.

"Wait," Piccolo said.

Leelee paused and turned to look at him.

"They're systematically taking us out one by one, starting with the Saiyans," Piccolo said.

Gohan swallowed nervously. "I guess that just leaves me, huh?"

Piccolo nodded solemnly. "And thus far, we've been unable to prevent it."

"What are they doing to them?" Lindsey asked fearfully, taking her husband's hand in her own. He squeezed her fingers.

"I don't know," Piccolo answered. "But I do know they're keeping them alive. For what reason is beyond me."

Lindsey breathed a sigh of relief. "So we can still save them?"

"We can't even save ourselves right now, incase you hadn't noticed," Sabriena snapped.

"How do you know?" Seventeen asked skeptically.

"I heard her tell Vegeta their orders are to take them alive."

"Do you think they're using their energy somehow?" Gohan asked.

Piccolo shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Well what do we do then?" Jenny asked.

"We have to keep moving forward," Piccolo answered. "But Gohan, you should be extremely careful. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if you're next on their list."

"Right," Gohan said with a nod.

"Leelee, you might want to find that door now," Piccolo said.

She nodded and within moments had prized open a panel, revealing the next corridor.

"Gohan," Lindsey said in a worried voice.

"I know," he answered, turning to look at her as everyone else filed into the foggy passage. "No matter what happens, just remember I love you."

"I love you, too," she said softly and hugged him tightly. She pulled back slightly and crushed her lips to his.

Piccolo wanted to admonish them about wasting time, but in his heart he didn't blame them. Who knew what awaited them in the dungeons? He wasn't going to ruin what could possibly be their last moments together.

Finally Gohan broke the kiss. "Come on, we've got to go."

Lindsey nodded and fell into step beside him, taking his hand once more. She stared at the ground as they went, wondering miserably how they were ever going to make it out of this horrible place. Piccolo followed them and closed the door as he stepped into the fog.


	16. Chaos and Discord

Jenny looked around at their surroundings in wonder. This path was very different from the other corridors they had walked. It appeared as if they had left the castle. They were walking a narrow, hard-packed dirt path that was lined with tightly knit gray tree trunks. The barren branches formed a sort of ceiling above them that nearly hid the night sky. Just barely, here and there amongst the branches, they could catch a glimpse of the full moon, its soft light filtering down upon them. A mist hung in the air, catching the beams of moonlight. No breeze blew; everything was still and quiet. It was beautiful and eerie at the same time.

"Oh wow," Lindsey breathed, looking up at the dark branches overhead. She still held Gohan's hand, twisting her fingers into his, her pace slow as though she feared every step was bringing her closer to losing him.

Jenny hung back to walk next to Piccolo. If they were taking them out one by one, and were eliminating the strongest ones first, she reasoned that there was a very good chance they would try to capture Piccolo as well. And what would she do then? Then she'd be left not only looking for her daughter, but her boyfriend as well. As it was, they already had to rescue the other Saiyans, too. What if they weren't even being kept in the dungeon? Was there more than one dungeon? The castle was massive; they could be held captive anywhere.

Jenny's head started to ache as all of these thoughts ran through her mind. But her prime directive was to find Paige. That was the most important thing right now. They'd worry about the rest when they came to it.

A soft light revealed that the tree-lined path was coming to an end. Jenny half-heartedly hoped she'd be able to sit for a moment. Her feet were hurting from all the walking in high-heels, which she wasn't used to anymore, and her ankle was throbbing from rolling it on the child's skull. She shivered again.

As they exited the path, a most peculiar sight met them. A square table sat in the middle of a courtyard and was exquisitely laid with a lace tablecloth, dainty teacups, and small platters of pastries. It looked extremely out of place in the overgrown courtyard. Tall grasses bent double from being left to grow too tall, sparse trees grew here and there around the edge of the yard, dead leaves littered the grass, and the castle wall was overgrown with half-dead ivy. There were high-backed chairs of white painted wrought iron that boasted elaborate scrollwork. The moon shone down, illuminating the whole scene and glistened off the fog that hung in the air.

Creepy, tittering laughs echoed around the courtyard as the attendees of the tea party conversed, sipping from their cups or taking small bites of scones. All of the party-goers were recognizable to the Z-Fighters, despite the fact that they had changed their clothing. Nyx was there, wearing a frilly lilac colored Victorian dress that was trimmed in white lace. Her messy hair had been smoothed into tight, sleek curls that hung in perfect barrels from her pigtails. Hybris was there as well, wearing a dark purple and white striped dress similar to Nyx's, her pale pink hair drawn up in a huge bouffant with a big black plume of ostrich feather. The pale little girl was skipping around the courtyard in a white Victorian dress, picking wilted flowers and dragging her teddy bear behind her.

Loki rose from the table, a slight expression of surprise on his face. He wore a black top hat over his blue hair. A black tailcoat covered the purple vest and white shirt he wore. He looked positively dapper. "Welcome, honored guests! You're earlier than we expected!"

"You'll not trick us again with food," Gohan growled, the image of his father flashing through his memory.

Loki smiled. "Yes, Edesia's food is… ah… an acquired taste."

They stared at him, holding their ground and refusing to continue the conversation. All of them were extremely wary of any substance offered from these people.

Loki gestured grandly to the one empty chair at the table. "We saved it specifically for you, Gohan."

Gohan swallowed, but squared his bare shoulders and tipped his chin down, fixing Loki with a menacing stare. "I'm not interested."

"Suit yourself," Loki said politely and sat back down at the table. "But unless you join us, you cannot proceed in the game."

Nyx sipped her tea and watched them over the rim of her cup.

"Why me?" Gohan asked. It wasn't a plea of desperation, nor was there any hint of worry in his voice. He simply wanted to know why.

"You are the smartest of your companions," Loki answered, still maintaining his friendly, polite tone. "And this is a test of wit. Only someone very clever, such as yourself, can hope to pass this test."

"What happens if I don't pass?" he pressed.

"You join your father in the dungeons," Loki said, his eyes flashing dangerously for a moment. "And we all know how much you enjoyed your last visit."

Gohan tried to repress a shudder at the memory of the dungeons, but wasn't quite successful, and his shoulders jerked harshly.

"Gohan, don't," Lindsey whined softly as she clung tighter to his hand and stared up at him with pleading eyes.

He didn't look at her. Drawing a long breath through his nose, he gently wrenched his hand from her grasp and stepped forward. "I'll play."

Loki grinned widely and stood, gesturing once again to the chair.

Gohan sat down and grabbed the bottom of the chair, scooting it closer to the table through the tall grass. He looked across the table to Nyx, who raised her tea cup in greeting. Hybris sat to his right, watching the little girl who continued to explore the courtyard, her raggedy teddy looking especially pitiful.

Gohan followed Hybris' gaze. "Who is she?"

"That doesn't concern you," Hybris answered in a quiet, but menacing tone.

Nyx gently reached over and touched Hybris' hand. "Don't be rude."

The little girl wandered closer to the group of fighters that stood near the forest path. She stared up at them with her ghostly pale eyes, her expression unreadable.

Jenny looked down at the little girl and felt her throat tighten. So many questions began to run through her mind again. What would her daughter look like at that age? Would she ever see Paige again? She'd been so distracted with getting through the challenges, she'd been able to ignore the overwhelming pain in her heart. But now, looking down at the pretty, albeit frightening, little girl, she felt the ache starting to creep back into her chest. The rawness of the hole in her heart burned stronger than ever.

Loki leaned his elbows on the table, pressing his fingertips together, and studied Gohan for a minute.

"I don't have all night," Gohan said finally. He was getting rather irritated with the way Loki was looking at him.

"The rules of the game are simple, Gohan," Loki said, reaching to the ground and retrieving his turtle who had a large black beetle in its mouth. "Aww, good turtle," he cooed, setting it on the table. Paying no interest to Loki, the turtle crunched noisily on its dinner. Gohan wrinkled his nose at it.

"We're going to have a game of riddles," Loki explained. He clicked his fingers and nine small, identical teapots appeared on the table. "Only one of these will reveal the exit to this place. One will take you back to the beginning and the game will start over. One contains instant death for the drinker and one holds instant death for the drinker's most beloved. The remaining five contain simple tea."

"How do the teapots factor in to the game of riddles?" Gohan asked, warily eyeing the teapots.

"For every riddle you answer correctly, one of the teapots will disappear. Answer eight questions correctly, and the remaining teapot will provide you with a door to continue on. At any point, you may stop the game and take your chances with the teapots. Such as, if you do not know the answer to the riddle, you may choose to not answer and select a teapot to drink from. However, if you answer any question incorrectly, or say that you don't know, you will immediately find yourself in those shackles you so fear and another from your group must take your place at the table." Loki sat back, lacing his fingers behind his head, and smiled.

Gohan drew a deep breath and said, "Okay. I understand." He knew that most likely the first five teapots to disappear would be the ones that held only tea. And he didn't like his chances of being able to randomly choose the singular teapot that would reveal the door out of this place. Starting the game over would set them back greatly, but it was doable. Instant death… he didn't like that prospect at all. "Let's play."

Nyx sat up straighter, blinking her eyes slowly and watched with a calm interest as their game began.

"We'll start with a simple one," Loki said, still smiling. "I am the only number whose spelling is in alphabetical order. What am I?"

Gohan sat back, feeling a bit relieved. This one was simple, even if it would take a minute to figure out. He began to count in his head, the spelling of each number running through his mind.

Sabriena flopped herself on the tall grass and leaned back on her hands, stretching her legs out before her, and watched the silent tea party. She reached over and tugged on Jenny's hand and Jenny dropped to the ground beside her, grateful to get off her feet for a moment. She rubbed her ankle through her boot, her mind racing along with Gohan's, trying to figure out the answer as though she could will him to answer correctly.

"Forty," Gohan answered confidently.

"Very good," Loki complimented him. Grabbing one of the teapots, he quickly stood and hurled it against the courtyard wall where it smashed. Nyx and Hyrbis giggled maniacally as Loki calmly lowered himself back into his seat.

Gohan wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of surprising him anymore. He fixed Loki with a bored stare and awaited the next question.

"Ready?" Loki asked.

Gohan nodded.

Loki set his shoulders and said, "What has eyes, yet cannot see? The answer to this has three."

The first thing Gohan thought of was a blind person. But that answer was too easy, and didn't have anything to do with the number three. He knew that they were going to try to trip him up, get him to say something incorrect, and at that moment resolved to not speak a word unless it was the answer to the riddle and quickly found his suspicions to be true. Hyrbis offered him a plate of scones, asking if he wanted one and he shook his head. Narrowing her eyes, she snatched one off the plate and pinged it off his chest. Nyx laughed openly. Loki reached across the table, grabbing one for himself and threw it at Hybris, snarling something in Latin at her and she cackled at him.

Gohan looked at the offending scone that had fallen to the ground near his foot. Food. Wait… potatoes have eyes… Yes, that had to be one of the answers. He stopped thinking about creatures and started thinking inanimate objects. After several minutes, he had two of the answers. Potatoes and needles. But the third was still eluding him. He started cursing this whole place, these maddening people and the storms they had created…

He looked up suddenly and smiled.

"Potatoes, needles, and storms," he answered.

Loki looked excited. "Very good!" he said again. He grabbed another teapot and smashed it against the wall. "What has a mouth, but does not speak, a bed but does not sleep?"

Gohan had heard this one before. "A river."

Loki's right eye twitched slightly as he slammed a third teapot against the wall, but he looked friendly once again as he resumed his seat. "What has roots that nobody sees, is taller than trees, up up it goes, and yet it never grows?"

Yet another one Gohan had heard before. His grandpa used to tell him this one when he was very little, and it had always amused Gohan since he grew up on Mount Pazou. But he was wary of angering Loki too much by answering yet another question so quickly. He sat for a few minutes, furrowing his brow, trying to appear lost in concentration. Finally he answered, "The mountain."

"Right again," Loki said, grabbing a fourth pot by the handle. Instead of throwing this one against the wall, he smashed it on the table, the handle dripping from his hand. Frightened, the turtle started to scurry across the table towards Nyx. She flicked sugar cubes at it that bounced off its shell and the turtle retreated into his protective shell. Hybris giggled again.

"As I went to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives. Each wife had seven sacks, each sack had seven cats. Each cat had seven kits. Kits, cats, sacks, wives, how many were going to St. Ives?"

Gohan closed his eyes for a moment, doing the math in his head. One man, seven wives, that made eight. Each wife had seven sacks. Seven times seven was forty-nine. Each sack had seven cats; forty-nine times seven equaled three hundred forty-three. Each cat had seven kits, so three hundred forty-three times seven was two thousand four hundred and one, plus the original eight made it two thousand four hundred and nine. Just as he opened his mouth to answer, he paused. 'As I went to St. Ives…' The riddle didn't mention that the man and his wives were going to St. Ives, only the person telling the riddle was going. He simply met the man and his wives. "One person was going to St. Ives," Gohan answered, somewhat nervous. That one had nearly tricked him.

Loki snatched another teapot and cast it carelessly over his shoulder. Four teapots remained on the table now, and Gohan was sure the two containing death and the one that would start their entire game over were still on the table. He was doing too well to take the chance of drinking the wrong one now.

"I am free for the taking all of your life, though given but once at birth, I am less than nothing in weight, but will fell the strongest of you if held."

Lindsey's head snapped up at this one. She knew the answer. In school, a music teacher had once told them to breathe in as much air as they could because it was the only thing in life that they would ever get that was truly free. She thought the word "breath" over and over, willing Gohan to hear her thoughts, but to no avail. With a big huff, she plunked herself on the ground next to Sabriena and Jenny. She sighed heavily again, leaning against Jenny's shoulder. 'Dammit, Gohan, pay attention over here,' she thought.

Gohan didn't need her help, though. He remembered hiding behind the medical magazine in the delivery room when Jenny gave birth to Paige and they finally heard the baby squalling as she drew her first breath. Given once at birth… it made sense.

"Breath," he answered.

Loki threw a sixth teapot at the garden wall. Upon impact, however, this one revealed a sparkling blue potion that crackled and slid thickly down the wall. Gohan felt certain that was the one that would have taken them back to the beginning of the game, seeing as it was less brutal than the two that contained death. Three teapots remained. He drew another deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Care to take your chances yet?" Loki asked, sliding the three teapots closer.

Gohan shook his head. "Nope." He watched the little girl as she rounded the edge of the courtyard, taking big jumps first on one foot, then the other, the dead leaves of the trees crunching beneath her little white shoes. He spun his wedding ring on his finger, staring ahead without blinking.

"A spirited jig it dances bright, banishing all but darkest night, give it food and it will live, give it water and it will die," Loki chanted.

Gohan sighed and continued to stare at the little girl as she hopped. _Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._ Gohan lowered his hands to his lap and leaned his head far back on the chair, staring up at the star-strewn sky. He couldn't think of anything that needed food but not water. Every living thing needed water. He continued to stare up at the sky in thought.

Piccolo was getting nervous. Gohan was taking much longer to answer this question than he had the other ones. He'd whittled the teapots down to three, but after seeing the potion contained in the last one that had smashed, Piccolo was sure the remaining three were full of potions as well. By eliminating the other teapots, had he only increased his chances of drinking a poison? Piccolo really didn't want Gohan to take that chance. And if Gohan chose wrong, Piccolo didn't know if he could fare any better. He was smart, he knew that, but he didn't consider himself particularly clever and in his mind, there was a difference.

Gohan had just about resigned to take his chances with the teapots. He closed his eyes with his head still tipped back, swallowing the knot in his throat. He hoped that if he chose wrong, it would be instant death for him. The alternative, well, he couldn't even bring himself to think about it. With Dende away from Earth and no dragonballs available to them right now, death was something they couldn't afford. His stomach started to twist into nervous knots. The answer simply wasn't coming to him.

_Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._

He wanted to shout at the little girl to knock it off. The crunching sound was distracting. He gave up. He had no idea what needed food but not water to live. There were lots of things that could go for very long times without water, but nothing that would die if given water. He didn't want to say it aloud just yet, though. His face fell into a serene expression as he conjured every happy memory he could. He pictured Lindsey on their wedding day, how beautiful she looked in that white dress. Every second he'd spent with her, now seemed like it didn't last long enough. How much time had they wasted that could've been spent together? How many silly arguments had they had over things that didn't matter now? He smiled to himself, remembering one spat they'd had about which way to place the living room furniture. She'd stormed out into the yard, cursing at him, and he followed her outside, egging the argument on. She turned on him, powering up and without second thought, he'd grabbed the garden hose and sprayed her down, extinguishing her flames for a moment as she stared at him in shock and anger, sopping wet. He snickered to himself.

Wait.

Fire needed fuel, food even, to survive. But water would put it out. It would die if given water.

He sat up suddenly, his eyes snapping open. "Fire!"

Loki, who'd been prodding his turtle to eat a crumpet, jumped slightly. He pressed his lips to a thin line, looking agitated. He'd thought he had Gohan with this one. "Well done again," he said in a voice that no longer sounded amused. He threw another teapot at the wall with gusto, it shattered and the black potion within steamed and hissed, leaving burn marks on the wall. "Two left."

Gohan smirked.

"Last one," Loki sneered, looking devilishly pleased with himself for this one. "Walk on the living, they don't even mumble. Walk on the dead, they mutter and grumble."

"Antonia, come here," Nyx said to the little girl who immediately scampered across the yard and crawled into Nyx's lap. She reached for a scone that was drizzled with icing and bit into it happily, eyeing Gohan with her pale eyes. "That's my girl," Nyx cooed and kissed the little girl's cheek.

"These are hard," Leelee whispered to Seventeen. He nodded and sat on the ground, pulling her into his lap. "Are we ever going to get out of here?"

"Gohan will figure it out," Seventeen whispered back.

"NO TALKING!" Hybris shouted and threw a scone at Seventeen. It bounced off the side of his head and landed in Sabriena's lap. She picked it up and eyed it carefully, then bit into it.

"Are you mad?" Piccolo hissed.

She shrugged. "I'm hungry."

"After what happened to Goku…"

"That's not the challenge here," Sabriena said, taking another bite. "This is actually damn good." She looked at it for a minute, then held it out to Jenny. "Want a bite?"

Jenny shook her head and stared at her friend in shock.

Sabriena shrugged and ate the rest of the scone, then licked the icing from her fingers. They watched her in anticipation, but nothing happened.

"Idiot," Piccolo growled under his breath.

Gohan wasn't paying attention to them. Nothing made sound once it was dead, unless you were watching a zombie movie. Or perhaps one of those silly ghost-hunting shows his wife loved so much. In any case, there certainly wasn't a ghost or a zombie around to walk on to see if they made noise anyway.

Antonia wriggled from Nyx's arms and scurried across the leaf-strewn grass to grab her teddy bear that she'd left against the wall.

The crunching leaves set Gohan's teeth on edge. He listened to her tromp across the yard again. _Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._ God, couldn't these people rake up the dead leaves?

"Antonia!" Loki hissed. He cast a nervous eye at Gohan, who noticed.

Gohan narrowed his eyes in question. Antonia was giving something away and Loki was worried that Gohan would pick up on it.

She paused in her tracked, then stomped back to the table in a fit, never saying a word, but making it very clear she was displeased that he had interrupted her play. Gohan watched her as she chose a rather large leaf and stomped on it, staring defiantly up at Loki.

"Have another scone!" he said and threw one at her. It hit her teddy bear and rolled into the grass.

Soundlessly, she jumped up and tackled him, knocking his chair backwards. Nyx and Hybris rolled with laughter as the only thing that could be seen was Loki's feet in the air and the teddy swinging high into the air and being pulled back down, Loki crying out with every swing. Antonia finally stood up and slicked her long, wispy blonde hair out of her face, then marched across the lawn, looking very cross, and pulled her teddy into her arms.

Gohan blinked at her, then stared at Loki as he got to his feet and righted his chair, his shoulders shaking with laughter. Whatever he'd been mad at her for was obviously gone from his mind now. He sat down again and watched her stomp on the crunching leaves as she stormed to the plinth of a crumbling statue and plunked herself upon it, casting them all a hateful glare as she snuggled her teddy closer.

"Creepy," Sabriena whispered.

The little girl whipped her head towards Sabriena and crunched another leaf beneath her tiny shoe angrily.

Pressing her lips together, Sabriena turned her face away from the child and spoke no more.

Gohan wondered why the little girl didn't speak. All she did was walk on those dead leaves, making that crunching noise. He slowly looked at Loki, who had pulled his turtle closer and was spinning it slowly on the table. He'd gotten onto Antonia for something… for walking on the leaves… the dead leaves that made noise when you crunched them…

"Leaves," Gohan answered. His breath caught in his throat. He watched Loki's reaction nervously.

Loki looked livid. He grabbed the final teapot and smashed it against the wall, a crimson poison exploded against it and dripped to the ground where it sizzled and popped. Loki picked up the remaining teapot and poured it into the dainty teacup that sat on a saucer before Gohan. "You succeeded," Loki said in a dull tone, sliding the cup closer.

"So I have to drink it, huh?" Gohan asked.

Loki nodded. "As I promised, it will open the door to show you the way."

Gohan peered at the shimmering pink liquid. It didn't look threatening, but then again, neither did the people sitting at this table with him, and he knew better than that.

Lindsey got to her feet and watched nervously, dancing side to side on her toes.

Gohan looked at her and forced a smile, then lifted the potion to his lips and swallowed it down. It was sickly sweet, but not unbearable.

Against the castle wall, the ivy retracted and withdrew from an arched garden gate that looked very much like the back of the wrought iron chairs at the table. It had beautiful scrollwork and had been painted white.

Gohan sat the teacup back on its saucer with a _clink_. "Are we done here?" he asked getting to his feet.

Loki nodded in a resigned sort of way.

Lindsey ran across the yard and wrapped her arms around Gohan's neck. "Oh, you're so smart," she breathed.

"You were worried?" he asked cockily, trying to keep the amusement out of his voice.

She didn't answer, but continued to hug him tightly.

"Let's go," Piccolo said, pulling Jenny gently to her feet and walking across the yard towards the newly revealed gate.

They were all congratulating Gohan on his wit and reasoning, glad to have at least one of the Saiyans still in their company. They reached the gate and pulled it open as Loki got to his feet.

"Say, Gohan?" he asked kindly, stepping out from his chair and fixing his jacket.

"Hmm?" he asked, turning back towards the table.

"I seem to have misplaced my pocket watch. Do you happen to know what time it is?" he asked.

He looked at his bare wrists. "Sorry, I don't know."

Nyx turned in her chair and smiled wickedly. "Wrong answer."

"Huh?"

The ground rumbled suddenly like a clap of thunder and a hole beneath Gohan's feet opened up. Unprepared for the sudden drop, he fell straight down with a shout of surprise and the ground closed over top of him in an instant.

Lindsey gasped in horror. "You… He… YOU CHEATED!"

Loki grinned. "We said answer _any_ question with 'I don't know' and it was a one-way ticket to the dungeons."

"The game was over! He answered all of your questions!" she screamed. "You're just mad because he beat you!"

"No one beats me!" Loki yelled, slamming his fists on the table and rattling the teacups. "NO ONE!" He looked frightening and intimidating as he glowered at them. Hybris cackled again and Nyx joined in her laughter.

"I'll kill you," Lindsey hissed, stomping across the yard, but Piccolo grabbed her elbow. "Get off," she spat at him.

He leaned close and said softly, "Let's just go. We know where they are and they're alive. We can rescue them shortly." He wanted to attack just as strongly as she did, but he knew that they were no match for Hybris. Nyx and Loki he was unsure of, but the tiny pink-haired woman had defeated Vegeta with little effort.

She was breathing heavily, glaring daggers at the trickster who had sat back down at the table and poured himself a cup of tea.

"Fine," Lindsey growled. "But I will get back at them for this."

"Just make sure you're dressed properly for a tea party!" Loki called and zinged a scone her way. Lindsey put a hand up to block it and it fell to the ground where she stomped on it.

"That's a waste of a perfectly good pastry," Nyx grumbled and flicked more sugar cubes at the turtle.

"Come on," Jenny said and yanked open the gate that creaked and groaned. "If this keeps up, we'll all end up in that dungeon."

Lindsey glanced one more time at the spot where Gohan had vanished, then followed her friends through the gate, the laughter of Nyx, Loki, and Hybris ringing after her.


	17. The Winding Stairs

Sanath collapsed to his hands and knees, breathing hard as sweat rolled down his face. The spell had taken a huge toll on him physically and mentally and he was trembling all over as he struggled to catch his breath. But it was done and he could finally rest. It had been hours since he had begun the spell. The bedchamber was still thick with the scent of candles and burning herbs, the floor damp from the sprinkling of blessed water. The healing talisman hung from Sanath's neck on its silver chain, clinking against a tiger's eye amulet of protection.

The bed linens were thrown back and pale feet touched the floor. Sigourney rose from her bed, testing the strength of her legs as she stood. She felt amazing. She stared down at Sanath's shaking form on the floor before her. She leaned over, taking his face in her hands. "You've done well, Sanath," she said softly.

He blinked up at her cold touch. "Th-Thank you, m-m'lady," he stuttered.

She straightened and walked to the wardrobe and flung the doors open, retrieving her favorite pale pink dress. She dressed with a slow deliberation, dressing in the many layers of her outfit. It was a long process, but Sigourney was not about to make her reappearance without looking fit for her title. Once dressed, she combed and fixed her vibrant pink hair, fixed her face, and put on her shoes. By the time she was done, Sanath had caught his breath, but he was still feeling very weak.

"Branwen," Sigourney said, "guard that child with your life."

"Always," the old nursemaid answered, as if any other option were ridiculous. Paige was peering fearfully up at Sigourney, her big eyes blinking slowly. She frowned and snuggled closer to the old woman that held her.

As if testing her strength, Sigourney conjured a burning pink orb of light in her right hand and studied it for a moment before absorbing it back into her palm. "Bring Nyx," Sigourney said. "I have matters to attend to and I expect her to be here when I return."

Sanath pushed himself to his feet and nodded.

With a swirl of her skirts, Sigourney swept from the room, slamming the door behind her as Paige began to cry.

* * *

"I'm getting worn out with this," Piccolo grumbled as they climbed a long, winding staircase.

"Try it in heels," Jenny answered.

Catie, who was leading the group up the stairs, stopped suddenly and turned around. "We need a plan."

"And what would that be?" Seventeen asked, crossing his arms over his chest and looking up at her.

"All we're doing is going from room to room, getting picked off one by one," Catie stated. "We're not accomplishing anything. Who knows how long this 'game' could go on? And even if we make it all they way through, they're not going to just hand Paige over to us. You know that."

"But what other choice do we have?" Jenny asked. "There hasn't been any other options. It's not like there was a side door we could slip through and we can't go back."

"Why not?" Seventeen asked, now turning on the stair to look down at Jenny. "Maybe there was something we missed."

"And let Gohan's sacrifice be in vain?!" Lindsey screeched. "Do you all realize what he did to get us through that last door? NO! I'm going forward." She started to stomp up the staircase, her heels clicking loudly on the stone as she shoved past Piccolo.

"Shouldn't we try to find Gohan and Trunks before we keep looking for Paige?" Sabriena asked. "I like our chances a lot better if they're with us."

Lindsey froze on the step, hesitating. "That's a good point, too."

"We don't have any way to get to them," Piccolo pointed out. "It's not like we've had any options. There's a door in and a door out to those rooms. Nothing more."

"The first room," Leelee said softly.

"They had that set up," Jenny countered. "No matter which door we'd chosen, we would have ended up in the spider's lair anyway."

"Yeah," Leelee agreed, her eyes brightening, "but they're expecting us to go forward. If we go back, they may not be guarding it. Maybe we could find a different way through this place."

They considered her words for a minute before Piccolo spoke again. "I think that's our best option."

"I don't like it," Catie argued. "We've come this far, I really don't want to go back if it could mean starting all over again."

Jenny nodded.

"Okay, then we split up," Seventeen said.

"No," Sabriena argued. "We should stay together."

"We could cover more ground if we split up," Piccolo said.

"I want to go forward!" Jenny said, her voice quavering. "I haven't come this far to just turn around!"

"Then you go on," Piccolo answered. "I'll go back."

"No!" she shouted and tromped down the steps closer to him, shoving Leelee aside to get to him. "I've lost Paige and I'm not going to lose you too!"

Piccolo took her hand in his, staring into her eyes. It was weird being on eye-level with her as she stood a couple steps above him. "I'll be fine. You take Seventeen and Lindsey and go forward. The others will come with me."

Sabriena narrowed her eyes at him.

"On second thought, take Sabriena with you too," he added.

Jenny swallowed and nodded. "Be careful."

He smirked. "I'll be fine." He looked up the stairs at Catie and Leelee. "Ready?"

Catie didn't much fancy the idea of going back to the beginning, but she nodded and slipped down the stairs with Leelee in tow and they proceeded to go back the way they'd come.

"Yeah, they get the easy way, going back downstairs," Sabriena muttered as she started to walk up the stairwell again.

"Always gotta bitch about something," Lindsey mumbled and followed.

* * *

Catie neared the gate they'd entered and peered through the scrollwork into the courtyard beyond. It was hauntingly empty. She creaked the gate open slowly and slipped through, her guard up as she expected Loki or Nyx to jump out at them. Teacups sat steaming on the table as if the occupants of the tea party had left in a rush.

"I think we're good," she called over her shoulder as Piccolo and Leelee joined her.

"Good," Piccolo said. "Let's hurry."

They ran across the courtyard and down the dirt, tree-lined path. They quickly reached the door at the beginning of the path and shoved it open, stepping once again into the paneled room with the mirrored floor and ceiling.

"It's empty," Piccolo confirmed. "Find the other door."

They walked the edged of the room, pulling at the panels, and after a few moments, Catie said, "Got it."

They stepped out of the room and looked straight up the tunnel they had dropped down.

Piccolo eyed Leelee out of the corner of his eye. "You learned to fly, right?"

"Sort'a," she answered, powering up. "I can use wind to carry me."

"Good enough," he answered. "But Seventeen really needs to teach you the right way."

She felt embarrassed again, but rose up through the tunnel, the smell of the minotaur's chamber growing stronger. Piccolo and Catie joined her, and quickly found themselves in the most disgusting chamber of the entire castle.

"I am not stepping in that again," Catie said and flew across the room to the barred opening. She squeezed through the bars and dropped to the stone floor again. Leelee followed close behind and they began to run up the corridor.

"Don't you two go running off!" Piccolo barked.

They froze and spun around to see Piccolo struggling to slide through the bars.

"Well come on, then," Leelee huffed, her hands on her hips.

"I'm not as skinny as you!" he growled, a blush spreading across his nose and cheeks.

"Aw, he looks cute when he blushes," Catie said in a soft voice to Leelee.

"I can hear you, you know," he grumbled and felt his face get hotter.

Catie sighed and rolled her eyes, but walked back to him and grabbed his wrist, tugging him through the bars. His shoulders finally squeezed through and he was able to slip the rest of the way into the corridor.

"Keep up, fat ass," she teased and sprinted up the passage.

"Fat… I oughta… You…" he stammered, his fists clenched at his sides and shoulders shaking.

Leelee took one look at the insulted Namek and tore out after Catie, terrified of being caught in the no-man's land between the two.

* * *

"This is infuriating!" Vegeta snarled, gripping the bars of the cell, trying to bend them away from each other.

"It's no use, father," Trunks said sadly. "Goku and I have already tried."

Vegeta growled and rattled the bars once more before flinging himself away from them. "And the walls?"

"Heh," Goku chuckled half-heartedly. "Don't even try blasting through them."

Trunks shot Goku a nasty look and rubbed at a mark on his arm. He lowered his bloodshot eyes back to the floor.

"You all right?" Gohan asked, crouching down next to Trunks, who was sitting on the bunk again.

Trunks shrugged. "Just got a lot on my mind," he said thickly.

Gohan thought it sounded like Trunks had been crying, but he didn't want to embarrass his friend, so he squeezed Trunks' shoulder and simply said, "Let me know if you wanna talk."

Trunks nodded and didn't answer.

There was a scraping sound and a girl's voice cried out, "Get off me, you disgusting maggots!"

Two guards were walking up the passage between the cells, dragging a small woman with brilliant orange hair and long, pointed ears. They threw her into the cell across from the Saiyans and slammed the door with a clang.

"Try to escape again," one guard growled, locking the door as the bars took on a purple glow, "and next time, we won't be so easy on you."

They walked away, wondering aloud what Edesia would be providing for dinner.

Trunks ran to the bars and stared across at the girl who was sitting on the floor, resting her forehead on her knees. "Enye?"

She looked up. "Prince Trunks," she gasped, crawling to the bars and staring back at him.

It felt awkward to him to be called that, but he managed a small smile for her. "Are you okay?"

Goku and Gohan joined Trunks at the bars, looking anxiously to Enye who answered, "I'll be all right."

"What about the others?" Gohan asked.

Enye shook her head. "I don't know." She spoke in a soft voice, looking up and down the walkway to make sure no approaching guards would hear. "I tried to sneak out to see how you were faring in the game. Everyone around here is so distracted by your presence. I hoped I could make it to you, to help you, but Nyx found me."

"I was just with Nyx," Gohan answered. "That friend of hers – Loki – he tricked me."

Enye nodded. "I'm not surprised. They're plotting something, though. Nyx looked rather agitated that she had to stop to summon the guards to bring me back down here."

"How did you escape?" Vegeta demanded.

"They were too distracted with the thought of you all," she answered. "They forgot to enchant the bars."

Vegeta frowned. He thought she'd had a trick to getting out of this place. "And you don't have a counter spell to get out of here, do you?"

"Sadly, no," she answered.

"What about your brother?" Gohan asked. "The last time we saw you, you mentioned finding him and putting a stop to Sigourney. Have you had any luck finding him?"

She shook her head, blinking her big orange eyes sadly. "No. Sigourney is careful about who she lets interact with whom. I haven't been able to find him. I don't know where she's keeping him. Not everyone she controls is here in this castle."

"They're not?" Goku asked.

"Some aren't even on this planet," Enye answered. "I know Kadar has taken a small platoon with him to a distant planet, hoping to recruit warriors."

"Recruit warriors for what?" Goku asked.

Enye shook her head again. "I'm not sure, exactly. I know their plan right now is to take over this planet, to rule its people and bring the old ways back. Their numbers are small right now; they may be looking for soldiers to police the people of this world once they take over. At some point, they plan to take over other worlds and may use recruits for that as well. I don't know how long they think their plans will take."

"So how do we-" Trunks began, but broke off as the sound of high heels echoed down the dungeon stairwell.

Enye slunk back into the shadows of her cell, pressing her back against the cold stone, as Sigourney herself rounded the corner, her huge skirt rustling as she walked.

"YOU!" Trunks snarled, tightening his grip on the bars of the cell.

She paused outside the cell that held all four Saiyans and smiled. "Hello, darling."

He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Oh, this is going to be fun," she said sweetly.

Something about her tone made Trunks back away, an icy feeling gripping his chest.

She surveyed them all with a smug look on her face. "Just relax, gentlemen. This won't hurt. Much."

* * *

"I… am… so… outta… shape," Sabriena panted as they continued their climb up the staircase.

"There's the door," Seventeen said finally, pointing to a heavy, dark door a little bit above them. "We're nearly there."

"I gotta catch my breath before we go in," Lindsey admitted and sat down on a step near the door.

Jenny nodded and plopped down next to her. "I'm thirsty."

Seventeen sighed impatiently. "Honestly, you all are a mess."

"We don't have an infinite power supply like you do, robot-boy," Sabriena snipped.

"That was a long climb," Lindsey sighed. She wasn't breathing as heavily as Sabriena, but her legs were burning. Maybe she wasn't in as great of shape as she thought she was.

"Okay," Jenny said after a moment of steeling her nerves. She got to her feet and climbed the last few steps to the door. "Let's go." She swung the heavy door open and stepped into the room, followed closely by her friends.

"SONUVABITCH," Lindsey hissed. They were back at the beginning, in the room that was full of doors.

"What the fuck," Seventeen deadpanned.

They all jumped and fell into fighting stances as a door across the room from them burst open. Piccolo, Leelee and Catie entered, looking at them in surprise.

"You mean we went all the way back when we could've just come up the stairs with you?" Leelee screeched.

"It appears that way," Seventeen answered, crossing the room quickly to her, happy to see that she was okay.

"I went back through that minotaur's chamber for nothing," Catie groaned.

"You ever call me fat again and you're in for it," Piccolo warned.

Jenny's eyes went wide as she looked from Piccolo to Catie.

Catie shook her head, shrugging, "I have no idea what he's talking about."

Jenny knew better and narrowed her eyes at Catie, who continued to bat her eyes innocently.

"Well what do we do now?" Lindsey huffed impatiently.

As if in answer to her question, a door cracked open and a bright light shone from inside.

"Playtime's over," a female voice said from inside. "Let's end this."

Without hesitation, Piccolo and Jenny strode for the door as the others followed. They didn't know what was on the other side of that light, but they were tired of this game. Whatever it was, they were ready to face it head-on and put an end to Sigourney's plans.


	18. Turning Point

The room they entered was massive. It was a long rectangular room, with high ceilings held up by rough-hewn wooden rafters and big, open windows that revealed the dark sky outside. At the opposite end of the room was a raised platform with three long stairs. Sigourney sat on a large, ornate chair, smiling at them. Standing to either side of her were Goku and Vegeta; Trunks and Gohan sat on the stairs in front of her.

"Gohan!" Lindsey breathed in relief, seeing her husband unharmed.

He cocked his head to the side and looked at her with unfamiliar curiosity.

"Gohan?" she asked. It was creepy the way he was staring at her, unblinking.

"You've done well to make it this far," Sigourney said politely. "But I'm afraid it's time to end this."

"What did you do to them?" Piccolo demanded, immediately realizing there was something wrong with the Saiyans who stood obediently by her side.

A door burst open to Sigourney's right and a young man they didn't recognize ran into the room and up the stairs to her side. "My lady, you mustn't…"

"Quiet, Sanath," she hissed. "I know what I'm doing."

"But-"

"Enough!" she shouted at him and he bowed his head, stepping back into the shadows behind her throne.

"I – I don't understand," Sabriena said quietly.

"Vegeta, darling," Sigourney crooned. "Won't you take care of these intruders for me?"

He bowed to her. "Yes, my queen."

Jenny and Catie's eyes went wide at Vegeta. Never would he bow to anyone. She'd bewitched the Saiyans somehow and now they were rising to their feet to attack.

"Try not to hurt them too bad," Piccolo said quietly. "We may be able to undo whatever she's done to them."

Lindsey was eyeing the Saiyans carefully. She didn't want to fight any of them. But she'd sparred with Goku and knew his techniques. She thought, perhaps, he was her best bet.

Catie locked her eyes on Trunks for a moment, feeling the betrayal bubble up in her chest again. She couldn't fight him. She wouldn't be able to restrain herself in that moment. She had almost decided to try to take on Vegeta when Gohan suddenly rushed them and punched Lindsey squarely in the face, sending her careening into the stone wall. In that instant, Catie powered up and flew at him, driving her knee deep into his stomach.

Lindsey pushed herself up from the wall, shaking her head and looking dizzily at the fight that had broken out. She watched in horror as her best friend and husband attacked one another. Gohan was punching and kicking Catie relentlessly, but she was holding her own, striking him back just as often as he hit her. Their movements were so fast, it was hard to keep track of them.

Vegeta had attacked Piccolo and the two warriors fought each other ruthlessly. One second it looked like Vegeta had the upper hand, slamming Piccolo to the stone floor with such force it cracked the stone, the next moment, Piccolo sent Vegeta sailing across the room with a kick that cracked one of the support beams.

Nyx, Loki and Hybris had joined the fray. Hybris was lashing out at Leelee, tripping her up with her long hair, which Leelee pulled at, causing Hybris to scream in pain. Loki was laughing and jumping side to side as Sabriena aimed jolts of electricity at him. She looked furious as he swiftly dodged every attack.

"Who created these storms?" she screamed at Loki.

"I'll never tell," he sing-songed in a taunting voice.

"You… killed… my… boyfriend!" she shouted, firing at him with every word.

Sanath paled in the shadows. He hadn't meant to kill anyone. But one life was a small price to pay to bring back his way of life, wasn't it? He reminded himself that these people were his enemy. If they succeeded, they'd take the child and all hope for bringing back the old ways would be lost. Such sacrifices were part of the deal and the ends justified the means.

Goku alone stood in the middle of the room, unmoving. Lindsey met his eyes and he crooked a finger at her, beckoning her to him. She got to her feet and walked nervously forward as he dropped into a fighting stance. Their conversation from earlier echoed through her head, as she had accused him of holding out on her. "Just a little," he'd laughed. She was about to see how much "just a little" was. Painful knots twisting in her stomach, she powered up and squared off at her father-in-law. His eyes looked strangely hollow and he smirked at her.

"Come on, dad," she said softly. "Let's see what you've been holding back."

Sigourney was watching the battles before her with rapt interest. No one was winning against the Saiyans, nor were the Saiyans winning their battles against the others. Their power levels were perfectly matched to their opponents, just as she had intended. The harder the other warriors fought, the more they wore themselves out, trying to gain the upper hand. In the end, only she would remain victorious. She was annoyed, however, with Loki, Nyx and Hybris. They should've eliminated three of the girls already. Loki was toying with Sabriena, not even bothering to counter attack. He simply dodged and taunted her.

Leelee had just about had enough of Hybris. Hybris' hair was wrapped around Leelee's ankle and she was laughing maniacally as Leelee struggled to claw the pale strands from her leg. With a growl, Leelee got to her feet, conjuring a strong wind around herself that swirled and rose into the air.

Hybris stopped laughing as she felt the wind pulling at her hair. "What are you doing?!"

It was Leelee's turn to laugh. The witch's hair was lifting and twisting, knotting itself together in the miniature tornado Leelee was creating.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Hybris screamed. A pale purple light washed over her, yet the tornado continued to pull at her. "Why can't I make it stop?!"

"Magick," Leelee smirked, willing the tornado to spin stronger.

Hybris was grabbing frantically at her hair, trying to yank it away from the twister as it sucked and pulled her closer. With a scream, Hybris was pulled into the tornado that zoomed across the room and slammed into the wall, dropping her to the stone floor where she lay quite still, her hair matted and wrapped around her.

Leelee grinned, her hands on her hips, staring triumphantly at Hybris.

Sigourney got to her feet with a snarl. She fired a well-aimed energy blast at Leelee and caught her in the chest, sending her spinning across the room where she landed on the floor, unconscious.

"LEELEE!" Seventeen screamed. He threw a particularly hard punch to Trunks' jaw and flew to Leelee's side. She was still breathing, but the back of her head was sticky with blood. He barely had time to set her back on the floor before Trunks was on top of him again.

Nyx laughed at Jenny and slapped her harshly across the face as Jenny kicked out with her boot, sweeping Nyx's legs from under her. Jenny fell backwards, using all her weight to drive her elbow into Nyx's stomach. Nyx heaved and rolled away, groaning. Jenny flung herself to her feet and rushed at Nyx again, kicking her in the back as she tried to stand again.

Sabriena finally managed to hit Loki and he cried out as the electricity ripped through his body. He dropped to his knees next to Nyx. "I've had enough of this."

She nodded, panting. "Let's split."

"Where are you two going?" Sigourney screeched.

"I didn't sign up for this shit!" Nyx countered.

"You'll do as your told!" Sigourney shouted. "We are this close to eliminating these pests forever and bringing the Old Ways back! You are not going to give up now!"

Their shoulders slumped, but they squared off against Jenny and Sabriena once more.

Goku had Lindsey pinned to the wall by the neck, choking her. She felt her face tightening and eyes watering as she struggled to breathe. She clawed at his hands and looked into his blank eyes. Something flashed there – a spark of life and Goku spoke through gritted teeth in a strained voice.

"Quit… holding… back," he commanded.

She blinked at him. She didn't understand. Was that really him? Or was it some trick of Sigourney?

"Can't… stop… myself."

The real Goku was still in there. And he was conscious. But his body had been taken under Sigourney's control and there was no stopping it. Lindsey didn't know what to do.

"I'm sorry," she croaked as she raised her boots and slammed them against his chest, throwing him away from her. She gasped for air as she caught her balance. A quick glance around the room showed her that none of the Saiyans had turned super Saiyan. Why was that? Either Sigourney didn't know how to get them to transform, or they were resisting her just enough to prevent it. They were trapped in their own bodies, completely at a loss to control their actions.

Goku rushed her again, punching her in the stomach so hard it doubled her over. She choked for air again and brought her elbow up to catch him in the ribs. He heaved, but grabbed her arms and locked her back against his chest. "Stop… worrying… about… me."

She stomped on his foot with all her might, driving the high heel into it, and brought her elbow up to smash against his nose. He released his hold on her and she spun in the air, throwing him away from her once again with a kick.

She landed, eyeing him as he slowly started to push himself to his feet. She was tired and didn't know how much more she could take. She put both of her hands to her right hip. "KAAA… MEEEE… HAAA… MEEE…" She paused, loathing herself. She didn't want to hurt him. But he told her himself not to hold back and she reminded herself that she couldn't make this attack strong enough to kill yet. "HAAAAA!" she screamed, firing the blue wave of energy at him. He didn't try to block it and it caught him full in the chest, throwing him across the room where he slumped against the wall and went still.

Lindsey was panting heavily. God, she just couldn't handle that attack. It was too much for her, it took to much out of her. She dropped to her knees, powering down, her shoulders shaking.

Gohan's fight with Catie near a window caught her eye. He had grabbed Catie by the neck and slammed her flat on her back on the stone floor. He was standing over her, glaring down at her, when she suddenly threw a vine at him that wrapped around his neck. He grabbed it and yanked it away, but more vines were flying from her hands, wrapping around his neck, his arms, his waist, binding him, causing him to stumble backwards as he tried to throw them from his body. Catie got to her feet, throwing more and more vines at him, holding the other ends in her hands as he continued to struggle.

"Catie, stop!" Lindsey pleaded.

It happened in an instant, but it was as if Lindsey was watching it in slow motion. With a strong jerk of his arm, Gohan ripped one arm free from a vine, but the momentum from it caused him to stumble backwards. The backs of his knees hit the low sill of the window and he lost his balance, falling over the edge and disappearing from sight. Catie stared in shock and felt the vine in her hand, which had wrapped itself around Gohan's throat, snap taut. A look of horror and disbelief crossed Catie's face and she released the vine, which whipped across the room and disappeared through the window, followed by a sickening, crunching thud.

Lindsey ran to the window, screaming, "GOHAN!" She flung herself through the open window, catching herself with what little energy she had left and flew down to the castle wall where Gohan lay. She knew it before she got to him, but it still jarred her to the core to see him. She landed beside him and grabbed the vine, tearing it away from his throat. Nothing could have prepared her to see the way his head rolled on his broken neck, the way his empty eyes stared up at her.

"Oh, baby, no," she sobbed, falling across his unmoving chest. She screamed into his shirt, clutching at him. "NO!" She cried for several minutes over her husband's body, finally sitting up and slicking her hair out of her face to look up to the castle windows overhead. "CAAATIIIIEEEE!" she screamed. She got to her feet and rose into the air again, powering up and landing back inside the room, glaring hatefully at the girl she called her best friend.

Catie was backing away from Lindsey, a look of terror on her face. "Lindsey… I… I didn't mean to…"

"YOU KILLED HIM!" Lindsey screamed with such force it felt like her throat ripped. "YOU KILLED MY HUSBAND!"


	19. The Fall of Sigourney

Lindsey shivered in anger, the flames of her hair burning higher and more intensely than they ever had before. She was glaring daggers at Catie, who took another step backwards.

"Lindsey," she whispered, tears brimming in her eyes. She'd been so infuriated with Gohan for punching Lindsey, but she hadn't meant for this to happen. She was only trying to protect her friend. Never, in a million years, would she have killed her best friend's husband intentionally when he wasn't acting of his own volition.

"Fight me," Lindsey hissed.

Catie shook her head earnestly, putting her hands up.

"FIGHT ME!" Lindsey lashed out at Catie with a whip of flame, catching her on the cheek and leaving a deep burn.

Catie blinked in shock. She couldn't believe Lindsey had struck her. She drew a deep breath. "Fine. If that's the way you want it, fine." She didn't want to fight her friend, but she would certainly defend herself.

Sigourney sat on the edge of her seat, watching with an enthralled expression on her face as the two girls attacked each other.

Earth and Fire raged against each other in a fierce display of their elements. Catie was throwing vines again, trying to subdue Lindsey who was snapping her whips at Catie with a fury. Catie managed to wrap one around the redhead's ankle and jerked it, sending Lindsey sprawling on her back.

"Bitch," Lindsey spat as she got back to her feet and rushed Catie, punching her squarely in the eye.

The girls unleashed a volley of punches and kicks, Lindsey intent on punishing Catie and Catie determined to not lose the fight. Vegeta would never forgive her. She couldn't stand the embarrassment of the disappointed look in his eyes nor the insults he would throw her way. She'd learned of the rivalry between Vegeta and Goku. It seemed that if Vegeta himself could not pass Goku in strength and technique, then he was intent for those in his charge to surpass Goku's children. Even in the late stages of her pregnancy, Vegeta had pushed Jenny, tested her limits. And when Jenny was recovering, he narrowed his vision to Catie and Trunks, pushing them even harder. Months and months of training and hard work, constantly testing her limits, had instilled a sort of pride in Catie that she couldn't turn away from. She would not back down from a fight nor would she suffer the embarrassment of defeat.

"STOP IT!" Jenny screamed at them. She and Nyx had frozen to watch the fight, both of them staring in shock.

Her words fell on deaf ears. Lindsey and Catie had locked their hands on each other's shoulders, trying to force one another into submission.

"She killed Gohan," Lindsey said in a strained voice.

"It was an accident," Catie growled back. Her flowery purple eyes met Lindsey's burning orange ones. There was no forgiveness there, only a growing hatred. Catie felt her heart falling to pieces again. Between Trunks and Lindsey, she didn't know how much more she could bear in one day.

"BOTH OF YOU STOP!" Jenny begged.

"NEVER!" Lindsey screamed and slammed her forehead against Catie's, knocking her backwards.

Nyx took advantage of Jenny being distracted and punched her.

Jenny shouted in surprise as she felt her lip split. She gingerly touched her mouth and looked at her fingers, which revealed blood. She smiled nastily at Nyx. "You hit like a bitch."

Her watery blue hair swirled over her shoulders, the ends white like foam, her eyes churning pools of deep blue. She attacked with all the strength she could muster, taking out her frustration with Lindsey and Catie on Nyx.

Piccolo was gasping for air, his eyes locked on Vegeta, who seemed to be tiring out as well. They'd been at it for a very long time. Sunlight was beginning to creep through the high open windows. His body was aching and he was tired and hungry. This was futile. No matter how hard he fought, Vegeta kept up with him. That was the infuriating part. Vegeta wasn't beating him, he was simply wearing him down. Realization dawned on him. She wasn't using the Saiyans to win, she was trying to get them all to kill each other. She wanted the Saiyans under her control to die just as much as she wanted the rest of them dead. He had to admit, it was a clever plan. And it had been her plan all along; that was why they had picked them off one by one. She'd selected the Saiyans because of their strength and stamina – they could last as long as anyone else and keep the fight even. And when they were just as worn down, she was probably intending to kill them too, just for good measure.

Well, part of her plans were complete. She'd managed to turn them against each other and kill Gohan in the process. Piccolo felt as if his insides had turned to ice at Lindsey's accusatory screams. He'd dealt with the other Z-Fighters deaths before, but losing Gohan hurt. He'd been Gohan's first teacher and Gohan was the first person to ever really befriend Piccolo. And with Dende gone, there were no dragonballs, no way to revive him. He knew Catie hadn't meant to do it, but at the same time he thought he understood Lindsey's anger.

Vegeta just wouldn't stop. Piccolo could feel the Saiyan Prince's energy level decreasing, but he himself was wearing out, too. It was becoming a struggle just to stand upright. But the thought of losing his daughter to these people was far too frightening for him to stop. He had to get to Paige. But first, he had to break Sigourney's spell over the Saiyans. And the only way he could think to do that was to kill her.

"KAAA… MEEE… HAAA… MEEE…" Lindsey began again.

Catie's eyes went wide as Lindsey began to summon the energy wave.

"Don't make me do this," Catie said softly as she threw her arms wide. A bright yellow light began to glow around her. "Don't make me hurt you."

Lindsey sneered, holding the glowing blue orb between her hands. She was concentrating hard on it, growing it bigger, forcing the last of her energy down her arms and into the palms of her hands. She was too angry to stop. The one good, stable thing she had in her life was gone. She didn't care anymore. She almost wished Catie would kill her and end the torturous pain she felt, but if she went out, she was taking Catie with her, too.

"HAAA!" Lindsey screamed.

At the same moment, Catie slammed her wrists together and bawled, "FINAL FLASH!"

"No," Piccolo breathed in horror, his eyes going wide. He didn't know Vegeta had taught Catie his signature finishing move. And he was even more surprised that she'd use it against her friend. Lindsey's Kamehameha wasn't strong enough to kill anyone, but Piccolo had known for a long time that Catie was a fair sight stronger than the other girls. This wasn't going to end well.

The two energy blasts hit in the middle of the room, a shower of blue and yellow sparks raining down on everyone. Both girls held the waves of energy, trying once again to overpower each other.

Catie's energy level was much stronger than Lindsey's. But Lindsey was refusing to back down. She continued to scream, leaning into the attack, trying to force back Catie's counterattack. Sigourney looked positively gleeful from her perch on her throne.

"STOPPIT, STOPPIT, STOPPIT, STOP IIIIIT!" Jenny screamed. She didn't have long to yell at them though, because Nyx was on her feet again. She was so angry with her friends for turning on each other like that. They had completely forgotten why they'd come to this castle in the first place. Killing each other would only hurt everyone else. She couldn't believe their stupidity. Frustration and anger burning through her system, Jenny summoned a burning white ball of energy in her hands as she watched Nyx, who stood swaying on her feet. Nyx wasn't a fighter. She'd been able to put up a good struggle using her magick, but she was tiring out. If Jenny hadn't been so livid at these people for kidnapping her daughter, she might have felt sorry for the witch. Nyx blinked slowly, drawing a shuddering breath.

"Please," Nyx gasped.

Jenny gave her head a sharp jerk to the side like a harsh "no." The energy between her hands grew bigger. "There is no forgiveness for this." There wasn't a doubt in her mind that if the tables were turned, these people would have shown no mercy for her.

Jenny thrust her hands out and cried, "HAAA!"

Summoning the last bit of magick she could conjure, Nyx spun on the spot and disappeared with an echoing crack as Jenny's blast soared through the spot she'd just been standing in. Jenny narrowed her eyes and turned around, searching the room for Nyx, but she had gone.

"Useless," Sigourney spat.

"TAKE HER OUT!" Piccolo ordered Jenny and pointed to Sigourney, still struggling to continue his fight with Vegeta.

"So you want to fight me, do you, little girl?" Sigourney asked haughtily, walking slowly down the steps towards Jenny.

Jenny smirked. "It will be my pleasure to kill you."

Sigourney threw her head back and laughed. Composing herself, she lowered her voice, "Oh, you are mistaken. It shall be I who kills you."

Jenny raised her fists. "Come on then."

The energy in the middle of the room had grown too large for either Catie or Lindsey to handle. Their blasts erupted, sending them both flying back to land on the hard, unforgiving stone. Catie pushed herself up with her palms, breathing hard and looking across the scorched floor to where her friend lay. She shoved herself to her feet, her joints aching.

Lindsey was shaking all over, her chest flat against the floor. She pushed herself up with her hands just enough to raise her chin and glared at Catie. She shook her head sadly and slumped back to the floor, too exhausted and grief-stricken to move again. The cold floor felt good on her face and she closed her eyes for a moment, her entire body aching. They weren't going to win this one. They were going to die in this wretched place. She didn't care. Nothing mattered now. She opened her eyes again to look at Jenny as she fought Sigourney. She wanted to help; she didn't want Jenny to lose her child or be killed in her attempt to save Paige, but she simply couldn't get up off that floor.

Sigourney was vicious. She and Jenny attacked each other with such voracity it even made Catie take a step back. She'd never seen Jenny so outraged. If Jenny was tired from their journey through the castle, it wasn't showing now.

Leelee opened her eyes with a groan. Her head was splitting as she turned her face towards the fight. She didn't understand how Sigourney had gotten more powerful. Leelee had beaten Sigourney in their last battle, and Jenny was far stronger than that now. Whatever healing process Sigourney had gone through had obviously made her more powerful. Leelee's head was pounding and trying to understand it all only made her brain hurt worse.

The air crackled with a magickal energy as the two women continued to fight. Energy blasts and bellowed spells flew back and forth between them. Both were fighting for something very important to them and neither was prepared to lose. Jenny was ready to die trying to rescue her daughter. Paige was the only thing that mattered now – not Catie's disappointment in Trunks, not Gohan's death, not the fight between her friends – the only thing in the world that mattered was finding her daughter.

There's something inherently strong about the bond between a mother and her child. There is no force on earth or in heaven that can rival it. Jenny could feel it, a raw truth bolstering her strength. This was about more than just Paige – it was the pain of every woman who'd lost a child that was coursing through her veins. The mothers who never had the chance to hold their babies, mothers who handed out flyers of their missing children and left the porch light on every night without fail, the mothers who wept over the graves of their children taken too early in life through accident or war. What would they give for one moment with their lost children, one hug, one more whispered "I love you." She knew the answer. They would give anything, everything they had, for just one more second. She swore she would not become one of those mothers, but she would fight the battle they couldn't. Her child was here in this castle and the only thing separating them was the woman who stood before her.

"Don't fret so, dear," Sigourney said. "Your daughter will serve the people well by bringing back the Old Ways."

Jenny shook her head. "You're wrong, Sigourney. You can't force people to join your cause and your beliefs. They have to come to it on their own."

"You have no idea what it's like to see your people cast to the edges of society! To watch everything you know and love be destroyed by charlatans and zealots who proclaim your way of life as evil and worthy of death!" Sanath suddenly spoke. "To go from being a revered healer and counselor of the people to someone forced to go into hiding! Too many years have we sat in the shadows. Too long have we watched the common folk slip further and further away from their natural abilities and rights. They drudge through life with their noses pressed to screens, unable to even so much as make eye-contact with one another! Day in and day out, they ignore their mother, the earth that gives them their very life!" He stopped to snort. "They think they can conquer her and bend her to their will, but they would be given so much more if only they worked with her, took the time to sit and appreciate the beauty of her. But will they do it? Will they listen? NO!" He drew a deep breath and calmed himself. "We will rebuild this world and bring back the Old Ways to its people. We will restore the natural balance, just as it used to be."

"Talk about zealots," Jenny shot back at him. "You can't force people to follow your path! They have to make that decision for themselves!"

"The people are blind," Sanath answered. "They must be shown the way."

"And only with the child by my side can we ensure our success," Sigourney added, smirking again.

"She's my daughter," Jenny growled. "You can't have her."

"She's not yours anymore!" Sigourney shot back.

Jenny lowered into a defensive stance again. "Do you have any idea what the most dangerous animal in the world is, Sigourney?"

The Queen turned up her nose. "What?"

"A mother with young to protect!" Jenny snarled, throwing a huge wave of water from her hands that swept over the Queen. It tossed her into the air, and swirled upwards, engulfing her within it. Jenny concentrated on the column of water that held Sigourney as she kicked and writhed, trying to escape.

"MY QUEEN!" Sanath shouted and ran forwards.

"Stay back!" Piccolo shouted, aiming a one-handed energy blast at the Shaman and blocking Vegeta's kick with the other. Sanath deflected the blast, but it shot upwards, hitting the ceiling. A large chunk of stone fell free and hit the back of his neck, knocking him to the floor.

Jenny was panting, her eyes fixed on the queen who clutched at her own throat, her face turning red. Faster and faster the water churned, growing tall enough to nearly reach the ceiling, growing wider all the time as the stream from Jenny's hand added to its strength and fury. Sigourney spun within it, trying to summon the burning pink orb of energy to blast at Jenny, but it kept diffusing in the water. She was too panicked to think clearly, her consciousness was slipping away… Sigourney went limp, spinning pathetically in the whirling column like a ragdoll. Jenny dropped her hands to her sides, powering down and the column collapsed with a huge slopping of water and a dull thud as Sigourney crumpled to the floor and remained still. Jenny had drowned her.

Several things happened at once. Vegeta and Trunks stopped in mid-fight and shouted at Seventeen and Piccolo to stop. They had regained control of themselves the instant the Queen died.

Loki ran to Sanath and grabbed him, pulling him up from the floor.

"SIGOURNEY!" Sanath shouted, seeing her lifeless body.

"There's nothing we can do," Loki cried. "We have to leave this place!" He spun on the spot and they vanished with a crack like a gunshot.

The floor began to shudder and a rumbling sound echoed throughout the castle.

"What's happening?" Leelee asked groggily.

Seventeen ran to her side and lifted her in his arms. "You're okay, baby. You're going to be okay."

She nodded and hissed at the shooting pain in her head.

Goku was getting to his feet. "Oh man," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Coward," Sabriena spat at the place where Loki had vanished. She was tired, but unhurt. He'd never bothered to attack her back.

Trunks was looking out one of the windows. "The clouds are disappearing," he said.

"What?" Vegeta cried, running to his son's side. Far out on the horizon, the blackness was dissipating and drawing steadily closer to the castle. "This whole place is going to come down."

Trunks looked down and could see flashes of light and movements – Sigourney's subjects were running for it. They jumped and disappeared with resounding cracks, retreating to who only knows where.

"Get Gohan's body," Vegeta said softly to Trunks, who nodded. Vegeta spun around. "We have to get out of here," he announced.

"Not without Paige!" Jenny cried and tried to run for the side door Sanath had entered the room through.

"No, you get out!" Piccolo said as the rumbling grew louder and the floors shook. "I'll find her!"

"Piccolo, NO!" she shouted back.

"We'll get her," Vegeta said. "You take the others and get them out of this castle, Jenny."

Jenny felt a tensing in her neck and was tempted to attack them both for their stubbornness.

"We don't have time to argue," Piccolo said. "NOW GO!"

Goku was looking around the room. "Where's Gohan?"

Everyone winced at his words, but no one answered. Trunks ran across the room and sailed out of the open window, dropping down to where Gohan's body lay. "I'm so sorry, Gohan," he said as he threw his friend over his shoulder. The clouds were drawing up closer and closer to the castle. Ear-shattering cracking and rumbling was coming from the massive structure.

"What are you guys doing?" he hissed, looking up at the windows.

Moments later, Catie flew through the window, dragging Jenny with her and was followed by Seventeen carrying Leelee. He could see the back of Goku's orange gi through the window and decided to head back towards the earth with Gohan's body before Goku saw it. He didn't know how to tell Goku his son was dead. Sigourney had allowed Goku to fall unconscious just before it had happened, and Trunks almost thought it was merciful of her, even if she didn't do it on purpose. The edges of the clouds were very close to the castle walls, the yard surrounding the castle was already falling into the sea below in big chunks. He spotted an island below that hadn't been completely covered by the rising floods and yelled to Catie and Jenny to follow him. They nodded and together they flew to the island, landing on the soft ground. Seventeen and Leelee landed a moment later.

"Catie," Trunks said, turning to face her after he'd laid Gohan on the ground.

She had her back to him. She didn't want to look at him and she didn't want to see Gohan's body. She felt horrible, in every sense of the word. A new pain ripped through her as she watched Goku coming towards them, carrying Lindsey over his shoulder and Sabriena clutched to his side.

"There you are, girls," he said, setting Sabriena lightly on her feet and letting Lindsey slip from his shoulder where she wobbled on her heels. He looked closely at her. "Who did you fight?" he asked in surprise. He could remember every detail of their fight and he knew he hadn't inflicted that much damage on her.

She shook her head.

Catie turned to face them. "Goku, I-"

"No," Lindsey told her, a hateful gleam still in her eyes. She looked up to her father-in-law. "Goku…"

"Where's Gohan?" he asked again.

"Goku, I'm so sorry…"

Goku felt a cold chill course through his body.

"It was an accident," Catie pleaded.

Goku looked over Lindsey's shoulder and saw Gohan laying on the ground. "GOHAN!" he shouted and ran to his son's side. "No." Pain was ripping at his heart as he pulled his son's limp body into his arms. His shoulders shook as he repressed the urge to cry. He never thought he'd see the day where his son was killed in battle and they were unable to revive him. For the first time in his life, he felt lost.

Lindsey dropped to her knees next to Goku and touched his arm, tears leaking from her own eyes. He threw his arm around her, crushing her to his side a little to forcefully.

Catie hated herself. It was an accident. But that didn't change the fact that it had happened and she wished with all her might that she could fix it. Trunks took her hand and she pulled away from him.

"It wasn't your fault," he said softly.

"Yes it was," she answered. She didn't blame Lindsey for hating her.

"Babe," Trunks started, but stopped at the hurtful look she gave him.

"Don't call me that," she snipped, crossing her arms over her chest.

"But I always…"

"I saw you kiss her," Catie reminded him. "I can't believe you would do that to me."

"I was under her spell!" he protested.

Catie shook her head angrily. "So was everyone else and I didn't see them sucking her face off."

Trunks groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. If she was this angry about a kiss, what would she do when she found out the rest? He couldn't fathom it. He decided to keep that bit of information to himself. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. And the last thing he wanted to do was to see her hurt.

"I think you're gonna be okay," Seventeen said. "It might take a couple stitches, unless we can get some of those Sensu beans."

"We are back in Japan now," she reminded him. "I really don't want stitches."

He nodded and gently let loose of her braids, letting them fall back over the gash in her head. He looked sadly over to Goku and Lindsey who were grieving over Gohan. He pulled Leelee closer to him, kissing her temple.

"What happened?" she whispered.

Seventeen whispered the story in her ear, her eyes growing wider with every sentence and she tried not to gasp.

Trunks turned sadly away from Catie and stepped closer to Seventeen and Leelee.

"I didn't hurt you too bad, did I bro?" Trunks asked sheepishly.

Seventeen snorted. "As if you could."

A small smile pulled at the corners of Trunks' mouth.

"So what happened with you all?" Leelee asked.

"Sigourney bewitched us," he answered. "I had absolutely no control over my body. But I could see and hear everything that was going on. It was so weird. And I was so angry – do you have any idea what it's like to be completely unable to control yourself?"

Seventeen smirked at Leelee. "Well…"

"And not in a good way," Trunks added in an impatient tone.

"Oh," Seventeen blinked, feigning surprise.

Trunks rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"So you were conscious the whole time," Leelee said. She wrinkled her nose. "So she literally used you like a puppet."

Trunks nodded. "We were in the dungeon. Gohan was pretty freaked out."

"I don't blame him," Leelee responded. "He got hurt pretty bad the last time he was there."

Trunks sighed and glanced at Goku, who still held Gohan. "Damn." He blinked at the tears that were growing in his eyes. He'd lost Gohan before, in his own time, and hadn't been able to revive him because there were no dragonballs. He couldn't believe he was facing the same situation again. Gohan and Bulma had been the driving force behind his decision to return to the past and leave his own time. Losing someone is hard enough, but to lose them twice? Trunks' nose was starting to run and he wiped it hastily on his sleeve.

Jenny was standing on the edge of the cliff they occupied. She stared up at the crumbling castle as the rising sun crept over the horizon. "Hurry Piccolo," she begged softly, her hands clenched together under her chin. "Please, hurry."


	20. The Storm is Over

Piccolo and Vegeta raced as fast as they could through the side door that Sanath had used to enter the room and found themselves in another large room with an ornately carved spiral staircase. The castle was shaking and the rumbling from floors below was growing louder. They threw themselves up the stairs as fast as their aching legs would carry them. The fight between them had worn them out considerably.

They entered a wide corridor with doors on either side and a long, intricately woven carpet that ran down the middle of the hall.

"Find her," Piccolo ordered and ran to the first door, ripping it open.

Vegeta didn't need telling. He started on the opposite side of the hall, throwing open door after door to reveal empty rooms. "No one's here. They might have taken her when they fled!"

"NO," Piccolo growled, refusing to believe they had come that close to his daughter, only to have her slip through his fingers once more.

They rounded a corner and were faced with a huge, gilded door and threw it open without hesitation and saw the bedchamber Leelee had described in her vision.

"I'll be damned," Vegeta said in a low voice as he glanced it over.

The wailing of a baby reached their ears as they ran into the room. Paige was in a dark wooden crib, her little face screwed up as she cried and screamed. Big tears poured from her eyes and down her chubby cheeks.

The old nursemaid stood protectively in front of the crib, her eyes full of fright at the sight of Piccolo and Vegeta.

"Hand over the child," Vegeta barked.

Branwen shook her head and answered him, but the groaning and rumbling from the castle drowned out her words.

Vegeta's hair flashed to gold as his tempter finally got the best of him. "I've had enough of this! Now hand over the child and I might spare your life!"

And ear-splitting crack rent the air as one of the rough-hewn rafters splintered and fell from the ceiling. Branwen's head snapped up and she gasped in horror, then dove for the crib.

Instinctively, Piccolo and Vegeta threw their arms up to shield their eyes from the dust and debris.

"PAIGE!" Piccolo bellowed as the beam collapsed over the crib.

* * *

Jenny was sobbing, watching as the castle crumbled, the great stones falling into the sea. Why weren't they back yet? Losing Piccolo and Paige at the same time? The thought was unbearable. Her knees shook as she listened to the castle groan and a tower fell away from the wall, crashing into the ocean.

Catie wrapped her arms around Jenny's shoulders and held her, staring at the castle. "Come on, Piccolo," Catie said softly, watching the sky for any sign of him or Vegeta.

"I'm going back," Seventeen said, rising into the air.

"You'll be killed!" Leelee protested, grabbing the leg of his dress pants.

"I can't stand here and watch this!" he shouted back.

"I'm coming with you," Trunks said.

"Both of you stop."

They turned to see Goku standing with his back to Gohan, a stern expression on his tear-streaked face. "You will never make it through there in time. Piccolo and Vegeta can handle this. I will not allow anyone else to die today."

"But, Goku," Trunks tried to argue.

Goku met Trunks' eyes with a level gaze. "I made you a promise today, Trunks. Now you need to do the same for me. Don't make Vegeta bury his son today, too."

A huge lump formed in Trunks' throat and he gave a nod as Seventeen lowered back to the ground. They both looked over at Gohan's body where Lindsey was lying across his chest, bawling into his shirt.

Seventeen shook his head sadly. Of all people, it had to be Gohan. After everything Gohan and Lindsey had gone through, this just wasn't fair. Gohan was too good of a person; he didn't deserve this.

Sabriena cautiously approached Jenny, a worried look on her face. She slid her arms around Jenny's waist and leaned her forehead against Catie's arm that was still around Jenny's shoulders. She couldn't look up at the castle. She didn't like Piccolo. She never had. But she wanted him here with them that very instant, just for Jenny. He made Jenny happy and all Sabriena wanted was for Jenny's story to have a happy ending. A silent tear slid down Sabriena's nose because she feared the opposite was about to come true. There would be no happily ever afters today. Her two best friends were about to say goodbye to their dreams and the lives they worked so hard to build. She had already lost hers when Tumbler died. She knew the pain Lindsey was feeling, and she shuddered at the pain Jenny was about to feel. Only Jenny's would be worse. She would lose her child, too, if Piccolo or Vegeta didn't pull a miracle in the next few crucial moments. She wanted to hope for a miracle. She just couldn't. Damn her practicality.

* * *

Piccolo frantically tore away the big chunks of splintered wood. He couldn't hear Paige. His heart felt like it had stopped. Vegeta was next to him, throwing aside pieces of wood and stone.

'Not her. Not my daugter,' Piccolo silently prayed as he dug through the rubble. He didn't know who he was praying to. He wasn't even sure if he believed in god. But thinking it over and over again, 'Not my daughter. Not my daughter,' made him feel as if he could will it to be so. He grabbed a particularly large piece of wood and heaved it to the side, revealing the crib.

Branwen was leaned over the top of the crib, which was partially smashed. A huge splinter of wood protruded from the old woman's back. Piccolo grabbed her and turned her around. The piece of wood had pierced all the way through her chest. Her old, gray eyes stared up at him with a weary tiredness.

Paige had ceased crying and was staring up at Piccolo with big eyes from the undamaged corner of the crib. A huge grin split her face as she recognized her father. She reached her arms out for him. "DA!" she cried.

"Paige," he breathed and scooped the tiny baby into his arms. He felt like he could cry for joy. He looked her over, relieved to see there wasn't a scratch on her as Paige happily cried, "Da-da-da-da-da-da!" His heart was melting again – these were the first words he'd ever heard her speak and she was calling for him.

Vegeta tripped over stones to get to Piccolo. "Is she all right?"

Piccolo nodded as Paige snuggled into his chest.

"Take… care… of her…" Branwen breathed, slumping to the floor.

"You saved her," Piccolo said in awe as he turned to the old woman.

A weak smile touched the old woman's features as she gazed up at Paige. "She's… special." Branwen's head slowly fell to the side and her breathing stopped, the smile still on her face.

Paige opened and closed her little hand at the old woman. "Bye-bye," she said sadly.

"We've got to get out of here!" Vegeta exclaimed as the castle shook harder than ever.

"Blast it apart, Vegeta," Piccolo said, shifting Paige in his arms to protect her better. "There's no other way out. There's no window here."

Vegeta summoned the last of his strength, knowing it was their only chance. Energy blasts hadn't been able to break through the walls of the dungeon. Were these walls enchanted in the same way? If it rebounded, the consequences could be fatal. There was no other choice. With all his might, Vegeta aimed the blast at the wall and roared, "FINAL FLASH!"

* * *

There was a huge flash of light as the last of the castle collapsed upon itself.

"PICCOLOOOO!" Jenny screamed in horror, her knees finally giving out. Her weight drug Catie and Sabriena to the ground as she fell. She was screaming over and over, her heart shattering into a million pieces again. They were gone. Paige, Piccolo, Vegeta… She was shaking all over, her breath catching in her throat, unable to breathe or think or see… She wanted to die. "Take me instead," she sobbed.

"No," Trunks gasped. "FATHER!" Trunks fell to his knees, his screams joining Jenny's. First Gohan… now his father… Catie didn't want to speak to him… He was reliving the same nightmare, only this time there was even more to lose. He turned away from the ocean, grabbing at his hair, and squeezed his eyes shut.

Catie clung to Jenny, burying her face in the back of Jenny's shoulder. She took long, deep breaths through her nose, trying to keep her emotions in check. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't supposed to _end_ like this.

"Honestly, what a bunch of pansies," came a gruff voice.

"FATHER!" Trunks shouted, jumping to his feet. He couldn't believe it.

Jenny looked up, catching her breath, and blinked the tears from her eyes. Vegeta was standing before her. Piccolo was at his side, holding Paige. She scrambled to her feet and threw herself against Piccolo's chest as he smiled down at her.

"My baby," Jenny breathed, reaching for Paige.

The tiny baby reached out with all her might and said, "Mama."

Jenny was bawling again as she pulled Paige tight against her chest, planting a thousand kisses on the baby's face, and she sunk to the ground once more, relief and joy exploding through her veins. Piccolo dropped to his knees next to her and wrapped his arms around her. She was shaking like a leaf.

Catie wiped the tears from her eyes and walked up to Vegeta. "You okay?"

He snorted. "Of course I am."

She nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. Then she narrowed her eyes at him, "You ever scare me like that again and I will beat the ever loving dog-snot outta you."

He snorted again, but gave her a half-smile and turned away.

"Kakarot," Vegeta said quietly.

Goku met Vegeta's eyes and pressed his lips together in a firm line. He silently begged for Vegeta to not start in on him. He just couldn't take it right now.

"I'm sorry about Gohan," Vegeta said, still maintaining his low tone, and he sounded sincere.

Goku worked to swallow the knot in his throat again and nodded.

Vegeta didn't know what to think. He had trained Catie to be a ruthless warrior, to use any means necessary to win her battles. While only human, Catie was still able to progress to his liking and showed a thirst for perfection not unlike his own. She had the drive and passion for training just like he did and she wanted nothing more than to earn his praise. For that reason, he gave it little, always pushing her to move faster, hit harder, think swifter. He glanced at her again, wondering if she truly would do anything to win. Catie's face looked horrified and disgusted and sad. No, she hadn't done this on purpose. It had been a grievous error in her judgment, wrapping the vines around Gohan's throat when they were in such close quarters and the windows had been so low to the floor. He shook his head, unable to think of anything else to say to Goku.

"I'm glad you're okay," Trunks said, walking up to his dad.

Vegeta nodded. "No worse for wear." Vegeta eyed Trunks out of the corner of his eye. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Trunks lied.

Vegeta nodded again. He couldn't help but smile at the way Jenny fussed and fawned over Paige, tears of happiness streaming down her face. At least the day would end well for someone. He tried to ignore the muffled screaming that was issuing from Lindsey's throat behind him.

"Come on, Lindsey," Goku said, trying to pull her to her feet, even as fresh tears burned his own eyes. "We have to go home now."

She shook her head, grabbing at Gohan's body, which had started to go cold. She wanted to die with him, to lay on that cold, wet grass until her own heart stopped.

"Lindsey, we have to tell Chichi," Goku insisted, his voice cracking. He gave another half-hearted tug at her shoulders before collapsing to his knees next to her again and gave in to the tears once more. His shoulders shook as he mourned his son.

"You cannot leave yet," came a woman's voice. "Your day is not done here."

"Oh, what now?!" Sabriena shrieked, turning to find three women standing at the edge of the cliff.

There was a young woman, a middle-aged lady, and a very old woman looking at them with solemn faces.

Clutching Paige to her chest, Jenny scrambled away from them, getting to her feet and running closer to Vegeta, who stepped protectively in front of her. Piccolo was beside her in a flash, raising his hands defensively.

The middle-aged lady spoke again, "There are other matters to attend to."

"You're not taking my baby again!" Jenny spat, venom dripping from her every word.

The young woman blinked at her. "We never took her in the first place."


	21. The Fates

"What do you want?" Piccolo growled, glaring at the three women who stood before him.

"To restore the natural order to this world," the middle-aged woman answered. She was beautiful with long, raven hair that fell in waves to her waist. She wore a long, simple red dress that flowed in the gentle breeze.

Piccolo narrowed his eyes. "More of that nonsense. We heard enough of that from Sigourney's minions."

The woman shook her head slowly, her dark eyes warm and understanding. "No. Sigourney tried to destroy this world and its people, to force them back to the Old Ways. She upset the natural balance and took life from those who were not ready to leave this world." Her eyes fell on Gohan's body and she frowned slightly. "The people must return to us of their own choosing."

"Return to you? Who are you?" Leelee asked.

The woman smiled. "We are the Fates. We go by many names, but most commonly I am referred to as Verdandi."

"You may call me Urdh," the young woman added. Her hair was the same as Verdandi's, but it was a shimmering blonde and her dress was white instead of red.

"I am Skuld," said the old woman, whose hair and dress also matched the other women, but her hair was silver and her dress was black. She slid her boney, wrinkled hand into a pocket and withdrew a long, golden thread and handed it to Urdh. "This came to me far too soon," she said sadly. "Perhaps you would like to give it back?"

Urdh smiled and accepted the thread from the crone and ran it through her fingers. Her bare feet carried her soundlessly across the grass. Piccolo and Vegeta tensed as she passed them, but her eyes were on someone else. She stopped and knelt next to Lindsey and Goku, both of whom looked up at her with blood-shot eyes.

"This thread was not cut by our hands," Urdh said softly, displaying it on the palm of her hand.

"C-Cut?" Lindsey hiccupped, wiping her eyes.

Urdh shook her head. "This was not his destiny." She looked down at Gohan and brushed a few stray pieces of hair from his forehead. "Such a handsome young man."

"Don't touch him," Goku growled, still uncertain of this strange new woman.

Urdh met Goku's eyes with her deep blue ones. "I know you're hurting," she said. "I do not come to cause you any more grief." She lifted the golden thread with her fingers and laid it across Gohan's chest. For a moment, it sat on the front of his shirt, then it began to fade as though it was absorbing into his chest. "Wake up, dear," she said softly.

Gohan's shoulders lifted suddenly from the ground as he sucked in a lungful of air. His eyes snapped open and he looked around, bewildered.

"GOHAN!" Goku exclaimed, grabbing his son and pulling him into a bone-crushing hug.

Gohan coughed and squeezed his dad for a second. "Ow, my neck."

Lindsey was staring in shock, her brilliant green eyes dancing. "Oh, Gohan!" she cried and shoved Goku away to throw herself into Gohan's arms.

"Have you been crying again?" Gohan asked. "Jeez, Lins, you big cry baby."

She was sobbing again, hugging him as tightly as she could, feeling the warmth coming back into his body and relishing the feel of his chest rising and falling against hers as he breathed.

Urdh stood again and smiled down at them. Goku got to his feet and took the young woman's hands in his own. "Thank you," he said earnestly. "Thank you for giving me back my son."

She continued to smile. "We did not take him. We are simply setting things right."

"Thank you anyway," Goku answered. He couldn't express enough to her how much it meant to him.

"You are most welcome," she finally said kindly. Her soft fingers slipped from his grip and she turned to walk back to the cliff.

Lindsey suddenly launched herself away from Gohan, running towards the Fate, and dropped to her knees in front of the young woman. "Thank you. Thank you so much. A million times over, thank you."

Urdh smiled again and nodded.

"How can I ever repay you?" Lindsey asked, staring up at the beautiful Fate.

Urdh took Lindsey's chin in her hand and looked deep into her eyes. "Keep the Old Ways, just as your grandmother did. Honor nature. Attune yourself with the cycles of the Moon and Earth. Kiss your right hand to us and we will watch over you always."

Lindsey nodded and Urdh let her chin slip from her hand as she continued to walk slowly back to the cliff.

Lindsey stood and Gohan stepped beside her. "You done crying yet?" he teased.

"Well excuse me if I thought my whole world was ending," she sniffled.

Gohan smiled at her. "I love you, you silly girl."

She threw herself against his chest again and buried her face in his shirt.

Verdandi had approached Leelee, who was still eyeing the Fate warily.

"You have nothing to fear from me," Verdandi said and reached out to touch Leelee's head lightly.

Leelee felt the pain in her head fade and the blood on the back of her head vanished. But Verdandi didn't remove her hand. She studied Leelee for a moment. "You have a great talent in you. Always trust your instincts. You are a true Seer. You were right when you had your vision. Don't waste yourself, my dear."

Leelee nodded, staring in awe at the woman. "Yes, ma'am."

Verdandi threw her head back and laughed. "Ma'am. Oh, this young generation."

Leelee was puzzled, but kept her lips shut. She thought she was being polite, but she was afraid of offending the Fate now.

Verdandi walked amongst the group, holding their hands briefly or touching their shoulders, their wounds healing instantly at her soft touch.

"I'm fine," Vegeta said when she approached him.

"Oh young Prince," she smiled. "There is no need for pride here. I have seen your heart and I know your story." She lowered her voice and spoke softly, "You are doing well, building a new life for yourself. But not everything that has been done here today can be undone. You must remain strong to keep that which you have worked so hard to attain."

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow questioningly.

She fixed him with dark, knowing eyes. "You will see in due time and you will remember my words." She touched his shoulder softly and a warmth spread from her fingertips throughout his whole body, healing the bruises the fight with Piccolo had left.

Urdh had stepped to the very edge of the cliff, her back to the group of fighters, and spread her arms wide to the sky above. She spoke in a big, commanding voice in a language they didn't recognize. As she spoke, the waters from the flooding began to recede and the ground firmed beneath their feet.

"What's she doing?" Seventeen asked as he watched.

"She's fixing the damage Sigourney did," Leelee answered as she watched the Fate work.

Soon she lowered her arms and turned to face them again, smiling. "It's done."

Verdandi nodded. "Now, there is one more matter to attend to." She paused and scanned her eyes over the group. "Jennifer, Piccolo, I need to speak to you for a moment." Jenny started forward, but Verdandi held up her hand. "JUST the two of you."

Jenny hesitantly handed Paige to Vegeta, then took Piccolo's hand and walked cautiously up to the Fates.

Verdandi smiled warmly at them again. Wordlessly, she took Jenny's left hand and placed it into Piccolo's left hand. She withdrew a long, silver cord from her pocket and wrapped one end three times around Jenny's wrist and the other end three times around Piccolo's wrist.

Urdh stepped a little closer and tied the two ends together in a knot. "Past," she said.

Verdandi tied a second knot. "Present."

Skuld, the old crone who thus far had simply watched the goings on, tied a third knot. "Future."

"Your lives are too entwined to be separated now," Verdandi spoke quietly. "Your hearts, your souls, are bound together now and forever. It was believed in ancient times that the elements bring with them special gifts. Today we bless this marriage with those gifts."

Jenny's eyes snapped wide. Marriage? Did she just say marriage? But Piccolo hadn't even asked her! They hadn't talked about it at all. She had always dreamed of a big, fancy wedding as a child, but with Piccolo, she wasn't sure how he felt about marriage and had never really pictured him wanting the big, traditional weddings she was accustomed to. She looked up at him and he smiled at her, a calming look in his eyes. They were already bonded for life as far as he was concerned. If the Fates were going to bless that bond, far be it from him to protest.

"From the North comes earth, a solid foundation to build your love upon. From the East comes air, the gift of communication and wisdom. From the South comes fire, the spark of passion and a warm, welcoming hearth. From the West comes water, the sharing of emotions that flow as the river of life. Always remember these gifts that we have bestowed upon you and your union. Blessed be."

As Jenny and Piccolo watched, the silver cord around their wrists began to glow, then seemed to melt into their arms, disappearing. As the last of the cord faded, silver rings appeared on each of their hands – Piccolo's a wide band with thin, slanting script. Jenny's had two rings – one had raised, Celtic knot work that encapsulated a perfect, white pearl inside. The second band looked like Piccolo's, only with a thinner band. She looked at the inscription and read aloud, "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine." A quick glance at Piccolo's revealed his said the same.

She looked up at him, butterflies erupting in her stomach for some unknown reason. She wasn't sure what to expect, but he suddenly smiled at her and grabbed her face with both hands and covered her mouth with a kiss so passionate it made her knees go weak.

"Oh my god, Piccolo's married," Gohan breathed.

"Never thought I'd see the day," Goku laughed.

Catie was standing off to the side, wanting to be happy for Jenny, but so miserable with herself that all she could do was force a smile and look uncomfortable.

Skuld looked at her and carefully walked across the grass to look into the young woman's face. Her silver eyes bored deep into Catie's dark green ones. She reached out and took Catie's hand in her own wrinkled, old hand. "Change is coming for you, my dear," she said softly. "But know this – only you can decide your future. Everything you know and love will be questioned, the things you thought were solid will be tested and challenged. It is up to you how you will weather this storm."

Catie's eyes watered with tears as she looked up and glanced at Trunks, who was looking as miserable as she felt. She blinked slowly, then looked to Lindsey who narrowed her eyes and turned away. Catie's mouth felt dry as she asked, "Why?"

"Life grows stagnant without change," Skuld answered simply. "This is but your turn to be put through the fire, to grow and learn." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "That is the reason you are here. That is the secret of life – to learn the lessons this lifetime gives you and to grow from them. The soul cannot be complete without learning these lessons. If you do not learn the lesson of this life, you shall have to repeat them in the next. Watch your words and actions carefully. Your great test is coming."

"What lesson am I supposed to learn?" Catie asked, her voice quiet like the old woman's.

Skuld smiled sadly. "That is for you to find out on your own."

Catie was confused. She didn't believe in the "Old Ways." It made her think of Paganism, something she'd been taught was wrong, evil even. She'd always been strong in her Christian faith. Yet she couldn't deny that the Fates were here; she could see them, touch them. And she used magick herself, even if she hadn't realized it until this point. Her mind was already full to bursting, and now she felt like it could absolutely explode.

"All paths lead to the Divine," Skuld answered, as if reading Catie's thoughts. "Everyone must simply choose the path that is right for them. Do not question your faith. It will lead you to the same ends."

Catie swallowed and nodded, letting the old woman's hand slip from her own. She watched the old woman walk back to the cliff and wrapped her arms around herself, rolling the Fate's words around in her head. Her stomach twisted into knots. She didn't like the sounds of this at all.

"You all have a great challenge coming for you," Skuld announced, drawing everyone's attention to the old crone.

"What do you mean?" Goku asked.

"This battle is won, but the war is still not over," Skuld said. "Do not forget, not everyone Sigourney commanded has been defeated. They will return to this world and will want revenge once they learn of Sigourney's fall."

"Can't you stop them?" Trunks asked.

Urdh shook her head. "That is not how we work. Normally, we wouldn't even get involved, much less interfere, with the wars of mortals. But Sigourney upset the balance so drastically, we had to step in."

Sabriena seemed to be warring with herself, wanting to speak up, but afraid at the same time. Finally she blurted out, "Can you save Tumbler the way you did Gohan?"

A small smile crossed Urdh's features again. "It has already been done. Your home is restored and all those who died before their time have been returned."

Sabriena let out a quivering breath and said, "Thank you."

Urdh seemed amused by the thanks she was receiving.

"How much time do we have before they return?" Piccolo asked.

Urdh and Verdandi looked at Skuld, who was considering the tall Namek before her. "One to three years, I would say," she answered. "The future is a very tricky thing, you see. You can be heading down one path and all it takes is one tiny pebble to trip you up, and you can find yourself on a completely different course. The future is ever changing, it is not set in stone. That is why you have free will and that is why you must face challenges. You set the course for your future, you determine what you will learn in the tests you face in this life."

"That is why we cannot undo everything that has been done here today," Urdh said, fixing Trunks with a knowing eye. "We only came to restore balance."

"We must leave you now," Verdandi said. "We bid you farewell."

"Wait!" Catie said, but the Fates simply faded from view.

Jenny took Paige from Vegeta. "Thanks, for everything today."

Vegeta nodded. "Don't mention it."

Leelee squealed and threw her arms around Jenny. "I'm so happy for you!"

Jenny blushed. She turned and looked up at Piccolo. "Are you… I mean… Is this what you wanted?"

"Ever since the moment I realized I love you," he answered.

Jenny beamed.

"Notice he didn't say 'met you'," Sabriena teased.

Jenny giggled. Piccolo hadn't liked her much when they first met.

"Ruin the moment, Subbie," Lindsey chastised.

Sabriena shrugged and stretched. "I am soooo tired."

"You're not the only one," Gohan agreed. He yawned so deeply it made his eyes water. "You going straight home or you gonna hang out here for awhile?"

"I'd like to get some sleep first," Sabriena admitted.

"You can crash at our house for the night… or day… whatever it is," Gohan laughed. He looked to Lindsey. "Right?"

She nodded. "You haven't seen the house yet!"

"Sweeeeeet," Sabriena drawled. "You got a guest room, right? Sleeping on a couch sucks."

Gohan laughed again. "Yeah, there's a room for you."

"Catie, I…" Trunks started.

She met him with a fierce gaze.

"I'm so sorry," he said.

She pressed her lips together in a firm line, Skuld's warning echoing in her brain. "Look, we're both worn out and tired. Let's get some rest before we talk about this."

Trunks nodded, thinking that he wouldn't be able to sleep at all with the thoughts he had in his head. The worry of Catie's reaction, how she would handle just the part she knew about, was enough to make him stay awake for days on end. But he couldn't see the sense in arguing with her about it now.

"I'm just glad I don't have to give bad news to your mother!" Goku laughed, clapping Gohan on the back.

Gohan's eyes went wide. "Can't say I blame you."

"Gohan?"

Gohan turned at the sound of his name and blinked at Catie who was looking incredibly nervous.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I'm so sorry," she sniffled.

"You don't have to be sorry," he answered. "I'm okay."

"But if the Fates hadn't intervened…"

"But they did," he said.

"But what if they hadn't? I would've ruined everything."

"But they did," he repeated. "Don't worry about what-if. I'm here. I'm fine! Although my neck is a little sore." He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, wincing.

Relief was washing over Catie. "So you forgive me?"

"Of course!" he laughed.

"Lindsey?" Catie asked.

Lindsey pressed her lips together and turned away from Catie.

"Lins!" Gohan scolded.

She ignored him.

Catie's stomach dropped again and her shoulders slumped. "Okay," she said quietly and turned to walk away.

Gohan was looking back and forth between the two. He rounded on Lindsey. "What's the matter with you?"

"She killed you," Lindsey hissed back. "I'm with her – what if the Fates hadn't shown up? I'd be burying you today."

"But that's NOT how it turned out!" he insisted.

"But it could have," she argued. "And she didn't even consider that." Lindsey stopped to shake her head. "No. I will not forgive her that easily. Not for her trying to take you away from me."

"You make it sound like she did it on purpose," he accused.

Lindsey shrugged.

"Lindsey!"

She looked away from him and said nothing more.

"Let's get going," Vegeta said. "I'm ready to get out of here."

Catie nodded and walked towards Vegeta, Trunks dragging his feet behind her.

"Wait! Shouldn't we celebrate?" Goku asked.

"Not today," Piccolo answered. "Maybe in a few days we can get together."

"I'll barbeque for you all, if you want," Lindsey offered.

"Awesome!" Goku cried enthusiastically.

"Sounds like a plan," Jenny grinned, snuggling Paige again, who was staring bright-eyed at her mommy.

"Where are you all going?" Lindsey asked Leelee and Seventeen.

"I still have my apartment in West City," Seventeen answered. "We'll stay there." He turned to Jenny. "Is it okay if we wait and come get our clothes and stuff from the Lookout tomorrow? I really just want to go to bed."

She nodded. "Sure."

"You're keeping that corset, right?" Seventeen asked, grinning mischeviously.

"Oh yeah," Leelee answered sarcastically. "I'm gonna get a riding crop to match."

Seventeen's eyes lit up. "You promise?"

"Oh my GOD, Seventeen," she hissed.

They all said their goodbyes and took to the air, thinking of nothing but hot showers and soft beds.

* * *

Author's Note: Inspiration and references for the Fates came from Z. Budapest's "Summoning the Fates." Excellent book. I highly recommend it. I hope I did the Fates justice here and that they are happy with my interpretation of them.

I also referenced the book "Handfasting" by Rev. Dr. Kendra Vaughan Hovey.

Just a few more chapters left! Then perhaps a new story? What do you all think?


	22. Good Night

Jenny slept fretfully the first few nights home at the Lookout. She kept waking up and running to Paige's room, heaving a sigh of relief every time as she watched her daughter sleep soundly in the crib, snuggled up with her pink blanket. She walked quietly back to her bedroom across the hall and slipped inside, shutting the door as soundlessly as possible.

"Paige okay?"

Jenny jumped and spun around to see Piccolo, who was sitting up in bed.

"Yeah," she answered and crossed the room, crawling back into bed.

"I keep waking up and checking on her too," he admitted.

Jenny smiled weakly. "I just keep worrying that they'll come for her again."

"They won't get away with it a second time," he promised as he laid back. Nearly a week had passed since their escape from the castle. He didn't want to admit it, but he had been terrified that he and Vegeta weren't going to make it out of there. He could still hear the groaning rumble of the castle as it collapsed.

Jenny snuggled up next to Piccolo's side, laying her head on his chest. He stroked her hair, letting the long, dark strands slip through his fingers.

"That's nice," she murmured, closing her eyes. She snuggled closer, hugging him tightly, then relaxed and trailed her fingertips along the waistband of his pajama pants.

He jumped at her touch.

"Ticklish?" she teased.

"N-no," he stammered. "Just unexpected." He rolled to his side and covered her mouth with his, pulling her closer against him. She moaned against the kiss and slid her leg over his thigh.

"Oh yeah," she whispered loudly as he buried his face against her neck. This was the Piccolo she loved. The man who was himself, no silly music or candles or black silk robes. Just him as he was, without apology or show. She whimpered as she felt him press against her, his body rigid with his need for her.

His strong arms wrapped around her and he moved to lay over her body, kissing her neck furiously. He hadn't been expecting this in the middle of the night, but her touch had shocked and woken his body. Even he was surprised at how much he wanted her, how fast his body had responded to her touch.

"Well somebody's awake," she giggled at him.

"Mm-hmm," came his muffled response from her neck. He ran his hands over her, grasping the smooth curves of her chest in his hands, pressing his body harder against hers.

She gasped and pressed her hips back against him, tracing her nails down his muscular back. She was breathing hard as he trailed his mouth along her collarbones, kissing and scraping his teeth against her skin. He tugged her nightgown down over her shoulders, down her chest to her waist. He kissed her stomach, working his way up to her breasts, pulling one into his mouth and teasing the other with his fingers.

"Oh, god, Piccolo," she cried softly in the darkness of their room.

She yanked at his pajama pants, pulling them down, and grasped his hard length in her hand.

He pulled his head back and hissed in pleasure at her touch. Her hand gripped him tightly, sliding up and down, making him ache for her. He propped himself on his elbows and looked down, relishing the sight of her hand around him. He kicked free of the pants and leaned into her stroke.

Jenny bit her bottom lip and watched his expression, smiling inside to see her husband so into the moment. He brought his head back up, his eyes squeezed shut, panting heavily. Stealthily, she moved her free hand to undo the ribbons of her panties that tied on her hips. Free of the fabric, she brought her hips up and pressed herself against the tip of his erection.

"Don't tease me like that," he growled.

She didn't need telling twice. She pulled him into her with the leg she had wrapped around his thigh, sucking in a sharp gasp of air as he filled her body. Both of her hands flew to his back, clawing at his shoulder blades. He didn't withdraw, but instead pressed harder into her, pinning her against the bed, holding her there. She gasped again, digging her nails into his back harder. He grabbed her knees and pressed them sideways onto the bed, still slowly pushing himself harder inside her. She didn't understand, there was no movement, but the restrained feeling of him holding her in place, deeper within her than she could ever remember, was so erotic. She moaned and tried to thrust her hips against his, but was unable to move.

"Now who's… teasing?" she panted, scratching harder at his back.

He pulled back slowly until he was completely withdrawn from her body, then slowly slid himself back inside her, pressing her to the bed again.

"Oh my god," she growled, throwing her head to the side and wriggling beneath him as much as she could. His hands still held her knees outwards from her body, his chest against hers, pinning her in place.

This was heaven. Piccolo couldn't help but smirk at the way her body contracted around him, the way she tried to reciprocate, the sound of her panting his name. He withdrew slowly again, pulling himself out of her, then pressed into her once more, closing his eyes at the hot, slick feel of her around him. He pushed into her until he could feel her pelvic bone against his. She brought her hand down to grab his ass, digging her nails into it.

"Quit teasing me," she ordered through clenched teeth.

"Oh, is this what you want?" he asked and began to thrust into her.

She whimpered again, letting her head fall back against the pillow. Her nerves were on fire as he thrust into her body. God, he was so big. She loved the way he filled every bit of her. He grabbed her around the waist and rolled again, pulling her on top of him. She sat up, running her hands down the muscles of his chest. She ground her hips on him, feeling his hard length deep inside her, simultaneously rubbing herself against him. "Oh… shit…" she panted.

He arced his back, lifting his hips slightly, driving deeper into her. She leaned over him, her hands on either side of his head. He ran his hands over her chest, up to her throat, grasping it lightly and she sucked in a gasp of air between clenched teeth again. He smirked and ran his hands back down over her breasts, pressing his face between them. He flicked his thumbs over the tight, sensitive flesh, feeling her body tighten on him. She was getting close and he was determined to push her over that edge. He pinched her nipples, rolling them between his fingers and lifted his hips higher.

Jenny screamed in pleasure as the orgasm rocked her body, deliciously washing over her every nerve, her senses singing in ecstasy.

With a growl, Piccolo rolled again, pinning her beneath his tall form once more. He drove into her, quickening his pace, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her down on him. She was so hot and tight, it drove him mad.

"OH, PICCOLO!" she cried, writhing beneath him, matching his pace.

"Jenny," he growled against her neck.

"Oh baby, fuck me," she moaned. "Fuck me hard."

Something about the pleading sound of her voice, the dirty words, the way she clawed at his back and matched his pace sent him over the edge. He was so close. He thrust faster into her until he couldn't hold back anymore. With a stifled yell, his body poured into hers, his shoulders shaking as she cried out one last time. He collapsed on top of her, panting.

"Oh… wow…" Jenny breathed, softly running her hands over his back.

"That was good," he muttered drowsily. He suddenly felt exhausted.

"Can't breathe babe," she choked out.

He lifted himself off her chest with his elbows. "Better?"

She took a deep breath and nodded. "I love you, Piccolo."

He smiled at her. "Not as much as I love you." Reluctantly, he withdrew from her body and flopped onto his side next to her. He was still breathing heavily.

Jenny tugged her nightgown back up and rolled to her side to admire her husband. He smiled sleepily at her.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me," Jenny told him.

He snickered. "I don't know about that. But I'm glad you think so."

She pressed her lips to his and he tangled his fingers in her hair for a moment, enjoying the warm comfort of her body lying next to his.

She broke the kiss and looked up at him with heavy eyes. "You wanna go again?"

He blinked at her. "Oh, Jenny, I don't know. I think you wore me out."

She pouted. "Oh, okay," she sighed and rolled over, snuggling into her pillow.

Piccolo smirked and grabbed her, pulling her back against his chest. "As if I'd ever turn you down."

Excitement shot up her spine as he ran his hands over her body again and she felt him grow hard against the back of her thigh. He wasted no time, sliding her nightgown up over her hips and drove himself inside her. He wrapped one arm around her waist to pull her closer and the other slid under her side to tease her right breast. He kissed the back of her shoulder as he rhythmically thrust into her. He was determined to make it last this time. He wanted to make love to her all night, to tell her over and over again how beautiful she was and how much he loved her. He'd do it all night, every night, if that was what she wanted. He wasn't going to waste another moment with her – he was going to make every second count.

She was moaning his name again, pressing her body back against his, taking him deeper within her. His slow, powerful thrusts were bringing her closer to orgasm again. He slid his hand down to the front of her hips, lightly running a finger over the soft, sensitive flesh between her legs.

"Oh, god," she whined, pushing back against him quicker.

He slid his right arm further under her side, pulling her back tighter against his chest, grasping her left breast now, pinching and flicking the tip of it as his left hand mimicked the same motion between her legs. His fingertips were wet as he pressed them against her, flicking them side to side quickly, then slowing to twirl lazy circles around her, he pinched her there lightly, then flicked his fingers again as they grew wetter from her excitement.

Jenny was seeing stars. He never quickened his thrusts, just continued to drive himself into her at that steady pace, his fingers teasing her and driving her wild. Her breath caught in her throat as her body tensed again and shook; she grabbed the pillow and pressed it to her face, screaming at the top of her lungs. Goddamn, he knew what he was doing.

"Okay, stop," she said, trying to push his hand away from her legs.

"No," he answered.

"I can't-"

"You can take it," he whispered in her ear, his fingers still rubbing against her. She was so sensitive now, it made her want to scream. He moved his fingers faster, as she writhed against him, his right arm still holding her back to his chest as he slid in and out of her tight slickness. She was so wet on him, her body so hot against his. He could feel her body clenching around him again and he quickened his pace slightly, relishing the way she tightened over his throbbing shaft. Her whole body trembled against his as she gave in to another orgasm.

"Piccolo," she whimpered.

He didn't stop. He kept up his torturous pleasuring of her body, bringing her to climax three more times, only speeding up his thrusting after every orgasm. When he was certain that she was truly, blissfully exhausted, he slid his hands from the front of her body and grasped her hips to pound into her quickly, giving in to his own need for release once more. He couldn't believe how wet she was, how tight she felt around him. He was so hard, he didn't think he could stand it much more. He was driving into her at a feverish pace, grunting with every thrust as their bodies met faster and faster. "YES!" he shouted, surprising Jenny, as he came hard within her.

He laid his forehead against the back of her shoulder, shivering against her as his nerves tried to settle down. He'd never felt so good in his life. She was amazing.

Jenny shuddered contentedly as he withdrew from her and she settled into the pillows, instantly drifting off to sleep.

Piccolo smiled down at her as he got out of bed and pulled the blankets up over her shoulder. He quietly crossed the room to the bathroom, showered quickly and then dressed in his pajama pants again. After checking on Paige, he crawled back into bed and pulled Jenny against him, curling his body around hers. He nuzzled into the back of her neck and drifted off to sleep.

For the first time since they'd returned home all those months ago, they both slept soundly for the rest of the night.


	23. It's Always Piccolo's Fault

"Hey, are you ready to go?" Trunks asked, cracking open the door to Catie's room at Capsule Corp.

Catie was sitting on her bed, her hands folded in her lap, looking miserable. Her light green summer dress was lying on the bed next to her. She was still in her pajamas.

Trunks pushed the door the rest of the way open and stepped into the room. "What's wrong?"

"Lindsey hasn't spoken to me in three weeks," Catie mumbled. "I feel weird going to her house to celebrate."

"Oh, she'll get over it," Trunks assured her.

Catie shrugged.

Trunks sighed and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He and Catie had spoken about him kissing Mohini and had agreed to work things out. But there was still an uncomfortable tension between them. Trunks swore to himself to keep the rest of it a secret. He couldn't bring himself to hurt Catie like that and he was terrified of losing her.

"Come on," he said, turning to leave the room. "We're getting ready to go in a minute. Besides, the party is for Jenny and Piccolo, not Lindsey."

"All right," Catie sighed, standing and picking up the dress.

* * *

They arrived at Gohan and Lindsey's house a short time later. All of the Z-Fighters had already arrived before them. Jenny ran to them and hugged them, proclaiming loudly how happy she was that they were there. Gohan joined Jenny in greeting them.

"I was worried you two might not show up," he said to Trunks.

"Catie didn't really want to come," Trunks admitted quietly, watching Jenny and Catie as they headed for the kitchen, dragging Bulma along with them. "She thinks Lindsey's still mad at her."

Gohan sighed. "I don't know what her problem is. I told Lindsey if I'm not mad about it, she shouldn't be either. But you know her. She gets something in her head and there's no changing her mind about it."

Trunks shook his head. "I wish they'd make up. This is really awkward for everyone else."

"So how are you and Catie doing?" Gohan asked, walking through the house with Trunks, leading the way out to the back porch where the barbeque grill was smoking.

Trunks shrugged. "It's… rocky. She admitted she'd have done the same thing, just like everyone else, but she still can't get it out of her head and it bothers her. We're taking things slow right now."

"This battle wasn't like any of the ones we've had before," Gohan said, stepping through the glass doors and into the warm afternoon sunlight. "This was far more personal. I think it's going to take all of us awhile to get over it."

"I think you're right."

"Dad sure enjoyed it though," Gohan sighed, grabbing two sodas out of a cooler and handing one to Trunks.

"What do you mean?" Trunks asked, cracking the soda open.

Gohan snickered. "Well, he got his fight after all. He was pretty bummed when he thought we were only going to get through the castle based on brains alone."

"But it wasn't really him fighting," Trunks protested.

"Oh yeah it was," Gohan answered. "It was an internal struggle. He managed to speak to Lindsey when they were fighting. He fought off Sigourney's spell just enough to be able to communicate to Lindsey to not hold back on him."

"So he was able to fight the spell after all," Trunks said thoughtfully. He frowned. If Goku had fought Sigourney's spell, surely he, Trunks, should have been able to fight off Mohini's spell. He was feeling more guilty by the second. The problem was, he hadn't wanted to fight it. At least, he didn't think he did. He wished now he had. He shook his head. He was so confused.

"Yup," Gohan said, swigging on his soda. "You know dad. He's so happy he got to fight."

Trunks shook his head.

"Hey mambo! Mambo Italiano! Hey mambo! Mambo Italiano!" Lindsey was singing loudly, off key, as she flipped burgers on the grill.

"You are such a nerd," Leelee teased.

Lindsey snapped the metal tongs at Leelee's nose and giggled.

Chichi shook her head. "You just had to marry that one."

"_Moooooom_," Gohan whined.

"You love me, Chichi, and you know it!" Lindsey stated.

"Sometimes," Chichi answered, a small smile pulling at her lips. The few months of living near each other, but not under the same roof, had smoothed over a big part of the problems between Chichi and her daughter-in-law. Lindsey was trying very hard to be respectful and polite to Chichi in an effort to make up with her.

"Let me see that," Bulma said, grabbing Jenny's hand and studying her ring. "Wow, that's pretty."

Jenny grinned. "Thanks."

"Come here, you," Bulma said, taking Paige from Jenny's arms. "When did you get so big?"

Paige giggled and leaned her head against the side of Bulma's neck.

"I'll watch her for you," Bulma offered.

Relieved to have her arms free for a minute, Jenny walked over to Lindsey and Leelee near the grill. Her stomach churned at the smell of burning charcoal.

"Jeez, Lins," Jenny complained, "what did you do to that grill?"

Lindsey blinked at her. "Huh? I didn't do anything to it. I didn't even use lighter fluid."

"It stinks," Jenny said.

"You don't have to eat it," Lindsey answered. "May I remind you, there's four Saiyans here."

Jenny looked at the group of men standing in the yard, talking loudly and laughing.

"D'ya think you could slip me a hotdog before we try to sit down? I might lose a hand."

Lindsey laughed.

"Where's Sabriena?" Leelee asked, hopping up on the rail of the porch.

"She went home," Lindsey answered.

"She said Lindsey and Gohan kept having wild sex and she couldn't sleep at night," Jenny teased.

"Oh we did not!" Lindsey protested, but her face went quite red.

Jenny put a hand up by her mouth and stage-whispered to Leelee, "Lindsey's a screamer."

"Jenny, I could kill you!" Lindsey shouted and grabbed a big spatula, holding it above her head. "You shut your whore mouth!"

"AGH!" Jenny screamed and ran from the porch, Lindsey hot on her heels, threatening to turn Jenny over her knee if she ever caught her.

"Some things just never change," Seventeen laughed as he watched the girls sprinting across the yard and around the corner of the house.

Piccolo closed his eyes and shook his head.

Goku laughed loudly. "Aw, c'mon Piccolo. She keeps you on your toes and you know it."

Piccolo cracked a small smile. "I suppose you're right."

"We should be training," Vegeta growled, crossing his arms.

"You guys said you have at least a year before they make a return," Krillin said. "You can afford one day of fun."

"Yeah, c'mon, Vegeta. Don't be such a stick in the mud," Goku added.

Vegeta huffed and turned away from them.

* * *

"Okay," Jenny heaved. "Okay, okay, okay."

Lindsey had just grabbed Jenny by the wrist and was rearing back with the spatula. Her playful expression turned to concern. "Jenny, you okay?"

Jenny was leaned over, taking slow, deep breaths. "Just… don't feel good."

Lindsey lowered the spatula and placed her hand on Jenny's back. "You need anything?"

"Maybe some water," Jenny answered, standing up straight and pushing her long hair out of her face.

The girls returned to the porch, Lindsey whapping Jenny playfully on the butt the whole way and stopping to check the grill as Jenny headed into the house. First she grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, then she yanked open the pantry, thinking some crackers might settle her stomach, and screamed.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Catie looked up from her spot on the pantry floor. "Eating cookies and avoiding having to socialize." She pulled another cookie from the package and popped it in her mouth.

Jenny's hand clutched at her heart. "You scared the shit outta me."

"Sowwy," Catie answered, trying not to spit crumbs as she spoke.

Jenny sighed and stepped into the pantry, sitting down next to Catie. There was just barely enough room for the two of them to sit side-by-side. "What's the matter?"

"Everything," Catie sighed. "Trunks… Lindsey…"

Jenny nodded.

"Lindsey hasn't even said hi to me," Catie said sadly. "And what's worse, Gohan is being super nice to me. He even called me the other night just to visit."

"That was nice of him," Jenny said. "What'd you all talk about?"

"Everything," Catie answered. "He said I should forgive Trunks, really forgive him. I told Trunks I still want to be with him, but I just can't get it out of my head. Gohan said he was working on Lindsey, trying to get her to come around. He doesn't understand why she's so mad at me."

"I'm sorry, baby," Jenny said softly. "She'll get over it."

"That's what everyone keeps saying, but I don't see it," Catie answered. "She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you," Jenny insisted, wrapping her arm around Catie's shoulders.

Catie shrugged and popped another cookie in her mouth.

"Come back to the party," Jenny asked.

Catie shook her head no.

"Caaaaaaaatie," Jenny whined.

"No. I'm going to hide in here with my cookies until it's time to go home."

"Pleeeeeeeeeease?" Jenny's voice was getting higher and higher in pitch.

"COOKIES."

"Pretty, pretty, pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?" Jenny's voice was so high that it cracked.

"Only if you swear to never make a noise like that again," Catie said, rubbing her ear and staring warily out the corner of her eye at Jenny.

"Deal," Jenny said, squeezing herself from between Catie and the wall. "I'll meet you outside. I gotta use the bathroom."

"I'm gonna finish my cookies first," Catie said, reaching for the pantry door and closing it.

Jenny shook her head and wandered through the house until she found the upstairs bathroom.

* * *

"Lunch is ready!" Lindsey proclaimed as she set the platter of meat on the table. There was a scrambling for food as they all piled their plates high and then took seats either at the patio table or on the bench seats that lined the porch railing.

Lindsey waited until everyone else had grabbed their food before she fixed a plate for herself. "Well, it must be good," she smiled as she covered a burger with ketchup. "Everyone's quiet."

Gohan nodded enthusiastically as he chewed.

Lindsey sat down next to him in a shaded corner of the porch and set her plate in her lap.

Catie wandered out onto the porch a few minutes later and softly closed the door behind her. She met Lindsey's eyes, but Lindsey quickly looked down at her plate. Catie's shoulders slumped.

"Hey Cat," Gohan said, swallowing his food. "Grab ya a plate."

She smiled weakly at Gohan and grabbed a paper plate, filling it with potato salad, chips, and a hotdog. Then she sat between Vegeta and Bulma at the table and began to pick at her food.

"Lins, you're gonna have to teach me how to cook," Leelee said.

Seventeen nodded emphatically. "She's horrible."

"Seventeen!" Lindsey scolded, but Leelee nodded and laughed.

"I set poptarts on fire," she admitted, pressing a hand to her mouth and giggling.

"How did you manage that?" Eighteen asked, turning to look at her.

"I left 'em in the toaster oven too long," Leelee answered.

"So you burned them."

"No, set them on fire," Seventeen corrected his sister. "Literally. There were flames."

"I didn't mean to!" Leelee cried, but laughed again.

"She has many talents," Seventeen said. "But cooking is not one of them."

"Keep her out of our kitchen," Gohan said to Lindsey.

"I'll show you my talents," Leelee purred. She swiped a bit of mustard off her hotdog and proceeded to slowly lick it off her finger as she stared into Seventeen's eyes.

"Stoppit, stoppit," Seventeen hissed quietly at her, shifting side to side uncomfortably on the bench.

She wrapped her lips around her finger and her cheeks hollowed as she sucked it.

"You're making me hard," he whispered in her ear. "KNOCK IT OFF."

Leelee threw her head back and laughed loudly.

"I don't know what he said and I don't want to," Trunks muttered, turning back to his food.

The door slid open again and Jenny stormed out, looking furious. She glanced around wildly, her hair swirling blue water around her face and shoulders. "PICCOLO!"

He looked up from his corner of the porch, his eyes wide in shock at seeing her powered up. "What's wrong?"

She rounded on him, "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" She stomped across the porch and started slapping every inch of him she could reach with her right hand, her left one closed in a fist at her side.

"What'd I do?" he shouted, shying away from her, trying to fend her off with one hand and balance his plate in the other.

"THIS!" she said, holding up her left hand, her back to everyone else.

"I don't understand," he said, staring at her in confusion.

She snarled at him. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" she shouted again.

"WHAT?" he yelled back.

"I'M PREGNANT AGAIN!"


	24. Reunion

The entire party went silent, holding their breaths, waiting to see Piccolo's reaction. All eyes were on him as Jenny seethed, her shoulders shaking, holding the little white stick out accusingly.

Piccolo's mouth suddenly felt very dry and his throat tightened. Another child? He was doing good to handle Paige as it was. He was frozen, staring at Jenny. Surely this was some kind of joke. But the fierce look on her face said it wasn't. She stared at him and crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.

It was Goku who finally broke the silence. "Congratulations, guys!" he exclaimed happily. His eyes danced with excitement.

Jenny turned on her heel, powering down from shock at his words. "Congrat… Are you… The hell's wrong with you?"

"Uh, Jen?" Leelee asked nervously, "I have to ask. Do you always carry pregnancy tests with you?"

Jenny blinked at the stick in her hand. "No! I just happened to realize what day it is and I…" she turned to Lindsey, "I kind'a dug in your bathroom cabinet. I'll buy you another one."

Lindsey cringed as Gohan shouted, "Why on earth would you have one of those?!"

"I… well, I…" she stammered.

Catie sighed and rolled her eyes. "Jesus, Lindsey, you didn't tell him?"

Lindsey glared daggers at Catie.

"She was _one_ day late and she freaked out," Catie explained. "So she ran to the store and bought like ten of those damn things. Total false alarm. She got her period the next day. She was on the phone with me, totally panicked."

Gohan was trying to catch his breath. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't wanna freak you out," she answered. "And when it came up negative, I kind'a forgot about it."

"When was this?"

She screwed up her face, trying to remember. "Like, two months ago?"

"How come you were freaking out?" Goku asked. "Aren't you two going to have a baby?"

"NO!" Lindsey shouted as Gohan yelled, "NOT YET!"

Goku's shoulders slumped. "Fine," he muttered turning back to his food. "You guys are no fun."

Gohan stared at his father as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. His dad was still rather young, he couldn't believe he wanted to be a grandfather already. Gohan blinked his eyes repeatedly, trying to figure out what had just happened. His dad looked genuinely disappointed.

Piccolo had finally found his voice. "Jenny…"

She turned to him, raising an eyebrow.

He stood and took her hand, dragging her back inside the house, avoiding the curious eyes that followed him. When they were in the living room, he sighed and said, "Are you really that upset about it?"

"After everything we just went through with Paige? Yeah, I'm a little concerned!" She crossed her arms tightly across her chest and muttered, "Damn fertile Namek."

Nervous knots twisting in his stomach, Piccolo asked, "Are you really mad, though?"

Jenny was breathing hard through her nose. She let out a long, slow breath and answered, "No. I guess not."

Piccolo pulled her to him, squeezing her in a tight hug. "We've done it before. We can do it again."

She nodded against his chest, her anger vanishing, but the nervous feeling still coiled in her stomach. She loved Paige with all her heart, but she still worried about someone coming in the middle of the night to steal her away again. Losing her baby once had been a horrible, gut-wrenching experience. Now to have two babies to worry over? She thought she might pass out with worry already.

They returned to the porch where Goku was talking loudly. "I hope they have a boy this time! Wouldn't that be great? We could train him to be a fighter, too!" A dreamy look crossed his face as he looked up at the sky for a moment. Lacing his fingers behind his head, he looked over at Lindsey and Gohan. "You guys sure you don't want to have one?"

"Goku, don't encourage them!" Chichi hissed, slapping at Goku's arm. "They're not ready for that!"

"For once, Chichi, I completely and totally agree with you," Lindsey said.

"No fun at all," Goku pouted.

The party continued well into the evening without any more life-altering announcements. Just as the moon was creeping over the tops of the trees, Jenny found herself alone with Vegeta near the edge of Lindsey's garden. She cast a nervous side-ways glance at him as he stood next to her.

"Another one, huh?" he said after a few minutes. He stared up at the waning moon and crossed his arms.

"I guess so," Jenny said, lightly touching her fingertips to her belly, thinking about the new life that was growing there at that very moment. An unexpected jolt of excitement ran up her spine at the thought of who this tiny person would turn out to be. But she couldn't wait another nine months of waiting like she did with Paige. No, this time she would find out at the earliest opportunity.

Vegeta remained silent.

"You mad at me?" she asked nervously. She knew Vegeta planned on beginning training again the next day and he intended for Jenny to join them.

"I don't see why I should be. You're still going to train. Unless you're on death's door, you're not getting out of it."

Jenny smiled to herself. She should've known better.

"I expect you in the gravity room by eight sharp," Vegeta said and turned to walk away.

"Sure thing, dad," she answered.

Vegeta paused, mid-step, smiled, and continued on his way.

"Baby, baby, baby, baby!" Leelee cried running over to Jenny. She dropped to her knees in front of Jenny and poked her belly. "Hi baby!"

"Oh god, Leelee," Jenny sighed good-naturedly.

"So you want a boy or a girl?" Leelee asked.

Jenny glanced over at Piccolo, who was talking to Gohan. He looked up and smiled at her. "I think Piccolo might like a boy this time. He's surrounded by enough women as it is."

Leelee got to her feet. "Most men wouldn't complain about that, you know."

Jenny smiled. "He's not like most men."

"I thought you were taking birth control?" Leelee asked.

Jenny shifted uncomfortably. "I kind'a forgot to take it when I was stressing over Paige."

"Wait," Leelee gasped, pressing her fingers to her mouth and staring at Jenny wide-eyed. "That means you conceived the night Sabriena walked in on you?"

Jenny blushed and giggled.

"Oh god," Leelee laughed.

"Yeah…" Jenny trailed off, biting her lip.

"That is too funny," Leelee whispered.

"Just keep that to yourself," Jenny grinned. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and checked the time. "We better get going. I have to be at Capsule Corp in the morning."

"Vegeta's never going to let up on you, is he?"

Jenny shook her head. "Nope."

* * *

Loki sat by a small fire, carefully nursing scorch marks on his arm and cursing Sabriena. Sanath sat next to him, rubbing the back of his neck where a large bruise had formed. He looked murderous.

"Oh no you don't," Loki said, scooping up his turtle which had been making a bid for freedom into the nearby trees.

"That bitch," Hybris growled, brushing her matted hair. "That bitch. That bitch. That bitch."

Sanath sighed and leaned back against a big log that had been placed near the fire and glanced around the small refugee camp that had been set up. They'd retreated to a remote forest, far away from any of the common folk. Fairy lights glowed here and there amongst the trees and illuminated the tiny, makeshift tents. He shook his head sadly and immediately regretted it as pain shot up his neck again.

They were so close. So close to their goal and they tripped at the finish line. One Saiyan was unconscious, the other was dead. If only those wretched girls hadn't used their magick to fight back. That was the only explanation for it. Energy waves alone wouldn't work against those who used magick. But because the girls' used energy fused with magick, they had defeated Sigourney. He should've seen this. He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes.

"Walk with me, Sanath," came a sweet voice.

He dropped his hands and stared up at Nyx. She was bruised and her hair unsightly, but she held her shoulders with a confidence that still radiated beauty. He got slowly to his feet and fell into step with her.

"What are we to do now?" Sanath asked wearily.

"Kadar will return to us," Nyx answered calmly. "He will be our rallying point. And he will bring with him new warriors, new magick, perhaps, too."

Sanath snorted. "That oaf. His vision is narrower than Kamahina's was. I have no idea what Sigourney saw in him."

Nyx glanced at the Shaman. "You loved her, didn't you?"

Sanath bowed his head.

A small smile pulled at her lips. "I always knew you did."

Sanath swallowed and didn't answer. Antonia, the little girl with the ghostly pale eyes, was looking rather lost, a sad expression on her face as she walked along, looking in people's bags and turning over cots set near small firepits.

Nyx paused and knelt down in front of the little girl. "Where's teddy?"

Antonia shook her head.

"I think I saw him," Nyx said, holding out her hand. The raggedy teddy bear materialized out of thin air in her palm.

Antonia's eyes went bright and she snatched the bear, hugging it tightly. Nyx smiled and stood again, setting her hand briefly on Antonia's head before resuming her walk with Sanath.

He glanced over his shoulder and watched Antonia skip to Hybris' side at the fireplace.

"Any word on Branwen?" Sanath asked.

"The workers recovered her body from the sea," Nyx answered. "She was impaled with a splintered beam. It seems she gave her life to save the Namekian child."

Sanath's breath caught in his throat and he shook his head sadly. Branwen had always been kind to everyone she met and had more practical knowledge than the rest of them combined. She'd played midwife to many laboring mothers over the centuries and caregiver to most of the children. She was warm and motherly; her death was a great loss.

"I need your help with something," Nyx said, interrupting his thoughts.

Sanath looked at her questioningly.

"Or, rather, someone," she clarified. They were heading toward an outcropping of rock, set in the side of the mountain they were camping near. A shallow cave curved back into this rock several feet and thick saplings had been driven into the ground before it like bars. They glowed slightly purple in the dark evening light.

"M'lady?" he asked uncertainly.

"We seem to be having trouble with a certain prisoner," she answered. "I thought you might be able to persuade her to our way of thinking."

They stopped just outside the roughly constructed prison cell. Sanath's eyes went wide at the girl contained inside, who was lying on the dirt, sound asleep.

"Nyx, there's no persuading her," he protested. "You know that."

"Try," she said softly, "If anyone can do it, you can. Use whatever means you deem necessary." She laid her hand on his shoulder, then turned and headed back down the forest path.

The small woman inside awoke and blinked her big, orange eyes slowly at the Shaman. It had been a very long time since she had seen him, but she knew him instantly.

"Sanath!" she cried, throwing herself against the bars and reaching through them for him.

He took her hand. "Enye."

Big tears were leaking down her cheeks. "Oh, it has been so long."

He nodded. "We need to talk."

She tipped her head to the side. "Talk can wait. Get me out of here."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," he answered.

"But, Sanath," she protested.

"I heard you caused quite a bit of trouble for Sigourney," he said. He shook his head and tsked at her. "Enye, you can't behave like that. You're not helping the cause."

"Cause?" she asked, confusion on her face. "I don't understand. Sanath are you… Are you saying you support Sigourney?"

"I do," he answered, then corrected himself. "Did."

She withdrew her hand as though he had scorched her. "Sanath!" she hissed.

"Enye, you know what they did to our people," he answered, anger creeping into his voice. "You were there all those centuries ago. You saw it with your own eyes!"

She narrowed her eyes. "I was also there when Kamahina enslaved our people."

"Saved us," he corrected her.

"You and I obviously have very different view points on this," she said, crossing her arms and turning away from him.

"Not for long," he grinned, reaching through the bars and taking her chin in his hand, forcing her face towards him. "Before you know it, you'll be working at my side, helping me conjure the most powerful magick in the universe and bring the Old Ways back to the people of this world."

"I will not help you!" she snarled. "You're twisting it! What you're talking about is a perversion."

"You were so young then," he said sadly, still gripping her chin tightly in his hand. "You don't remember it the way you think you do."

"I was old enough to remember Kamahina's men ripping us from our homes," she spat.

"That doesn't matter now," he said. "All that matters now is that you're here, we're together, and that we start making preparations for Kadar's return. We will strengthen those of our kind who remain. Think of it! We will build an army that no Saiyan or Namek could ever defeat."

Her eyes went wide with fear. "You're a madman."

"You and I together again." He threw his head back and laughed. "It will be just like old times! Just like it used to be… dear sister."

* * *

Author's Final Note: I hope you all enjoyed this! I certainly had a lot of fun writing it. And thank you to those who reviewed; you're what makes this so much fun for me. Jenny, thanks for letting me play with your character. Love you, girl.

The next story in this series will be up in a couple days. You can find it on my profile. It will be titled "Forgive Me." Coming soon!


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